Alberta launches 4 investigations into Contentment Social Services, clients relocated

The province has taken steps to help clients of Contentment Social Services (CSS) who were being housed in a Leduc hotel.

"Alberta Health and AHS arranged for a mobile health unit, which included a nurse practitioner and paramedic to offer on-site assessments to all clients currently at the hotel site," said Adriana LaGrange, Alberta's health minister. "This was done out of an abundance of caution," she added.

Officials were able to identify 27 people at the hotel who were clients of CSS, 10 of the individuals were receiving home care services.

"We were able to connect with an on-site volunteer staff from Contentment," said Jason Nixon, Alberta's minister for seniors, community and social services.

"It's the only staff member we've been able to connect with, who together with hotel management, connected us to each individual," he said.

Nixon said they were able to determine all of the clients at the motel were medically cleared to live on their own in the community with help from home care or other community supports.

"Through the weekend, our teams worked with community providers to provide a plan to get everyone back to a safe, stable location," said Nixon.

He said contact was made with their previous landlord and arrangements made to have them return to their original apartments.

"Work was done through the weekend to get all of their belongings back to their apartments as well as to make sure that food and other needs and community supports were put in place," Nixon said.

Issues with CSS were first brought to light last week by the family of a 62-year-old stroke survivor. They said the partially paralyzed man was discharged from hospital and taken to a Travelodge motel in Leduc which was not suitable for the care he required.

"We recognize that AHS has previously provided this organization as an option to patients during the discharge process and we recognize that this organization has failed to meet the needs of some of its clients," said LaGrange.

The health minister said she has directed staff in her department and Alberta Health Services not to interact with the agency.

"We need to make sure that if anyone is offered an option through Alberta Health Services, through our government, that it is an option that has been vetted," she said.

Another family raises concerns

"The ball was dropped on every level," said Jeannie Lavoie, whose step-son was a client of the agency up until the end of February.

She said her step-son, Thomas Allendeer is 26-years-old, but because of developmental disabilities, functions more like a 13-year-old.

"I didn't get the services that I needed, that they promised" Allendeer said. "When I needed somebody to talk to when I was going through my mental struggles they promised for someone to be there to talk to me and they didn't."

Allendeer's step-mom said he'd often call to say he hadn't gotten meals and had trouble accessing help for other needs like laundry.

"Transport wasn't booked, appointments were missed, specialists decided not to see him anymore including his psychologist, so we're in the process of trying to find new professionals to help him," Lavoie said.

Concerns over finances

"We did not see anything in terms of physical abuse but neglect is a type of elder abuse and that needs to be looked at," said Nixon.

He has asked four government departments to investigate claims about CSS, including elder abuse and elder neglect, Office of Public Guardian and Trustee, Service Alberta and the Seniors, Community and Social Services income division.

"Because individuals who were paying their support money such as AISH to this organization and then ultimately that money does not appear to be used for what it was advertised to be used for," he said.

Nixon said they discovered CSS moved clients three times since approximately March 11. First from the original apartment building, into the Travelodge in Leduc, then to the Raddison hotel. Nixon said there were outstanding bills at all three locations; his government provided $25,000 to the Raddison on Thursday to prevent clients from being evicted.

"We will not be paying the rest of Contentment's bills and they have, it looks like, a large amount of bills that are unpaid," Nixon said. "We will take measures to recoup any cost that the taxpayer incurred to deal with this weekend," he added.

Nixon has also directed his staff to look at licencing and accreditation options for organizations that provide non-medical supports.

"I think Albertans expect us to be able to make sure if somebody's advertising that they're a service provider that they really are," he said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski