Not An Isolated Incident

Ontario's attitude under Health Minister Smitherman.......

Elder abuse exposed in all its horror

November 09, 2009

Carol Goar

He knew his presentation was upsetting. He expected his video – a graphic depiction of the crime scene and victim – to produce shock and revulsion. He was unapologetic.

"Physical abuse is not a pretty sight," said Constable Pierre Parenteau. "But that's what we're talking about, so let's not censor it."

The Moncton RCMP officer was the lead speaker at a two-day conference on elder abuse. He told the story of Kathleen Grant, a 77-year-old woman who literally rotted to death in a living room chair. Her daughter Margaret, her sole caregiver, watched her sit there for five months, as gangrene consumed her feet and legs. The mother, helpless and isolated, ate, slept, urinated and defecated in the chair.

Finally, when Kathleen Grant was struggling to breathe, her daughter finally called 911. Paramedics found the patient suffering from malnourishment and septic shock. The flesh on her legs was decomposing rapidly. Bone was exposed in a few places. Her body was caked with feces.

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