Ex-employee alleges mishandling in long-term care outbreak, province says no complaints

An Edmonton man is calling on his former workplace to "step it up" following an alleged mishandling of a COVID-19 outbreak at a local long-term care facility.

Dave Forbes recently quit his job at Touchmark at Wedgewood after what he alleges was a failure to enforce protocols designed to keep residents and staff safe at the facility.

Forbes, who worked for Touchmark for three years, said neither testing nor masking recommendations were being followed during a two-week outbreak at the facility – which is classified as a home for people with "highly complex, unpredictable medical needs."

"When I came to work and I was informed that we're under outbreak status, I said, 'Oh, wow. We better test.' And my coworker said, 'Oh, good thing I brought some tests from home."

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During an outbreak, Alberta Health Services (AHS) recommends that:

• Residents with symptoms or confirmed infections are isolated;
• Staff continuously mask;
• New illnesses be reported daily; and
• Visits are planned safely.

"(There was) one lady in her room with an oxygen tank. She's in isolation, testing positive for COVID. There's another lady, a resident, sitting at her door with no mask," Forbes offered as examples.

"Visitors were coming in, and there were no tests available if they wanted to test themselves," he continued.

Dave Forbes, a former employee at Touchmark at Westwood, said the facility was not following COVID-19 protocols, like isolating residents with symptoms or confirmed infections, during a recent outbreak. (Dave Forbes)Before Forbes quit, he said he struggled with a string of deaths and was threatened with dismissal when he took time off to cope.

"It was the third death of a resident within eight days …. These are people that we'd gotten close to," he said.

"It brings you to your breaking point," Forbes said. "I'm far from being a saint, but I have professional ethics and morals that are at a higher standard than Touchmark's, and my message would be, 'Up your game.'

"Very simple: You need to take better care of the people in long-term care."

Touchmark claims the allegations are untrue.

It said an AHS outbreak team conducted an on-site review within the past two weeks and confirmed the facility was following protocols.

Audits by the chief medical officer of health in 2022 found two infectious disease non-compliances at the facility, including one with COVID-19 outbreak policies, procedures and implementation. 

However, no other related non-compliances have been reported on the government website since, and AHS said it has not received any complaints regarding infection protocols at that facility.

'Seniors deserve better'

Public Interest Alberta, a province-wide advocacy non-profit organization, said there is a "culture of silence" in long-term care and suggested Forbes' experience is a sign of a system that is failing aging Albertans.

"It's really concerning that it takes a worker to come forward and raise the alarm," executive director Bradley Lafortune said.

"It really begs the question: Where is this happening in other places across the province and what is really being done to ensure that when there is an outbreak … that it is being handled properly and other people aren't getting sick?"

While he couldn't speak to COVID-19 outbreaks specifically, Lafortune said families often reach out with worries over the quality of care their loved ones receive.

Results from a Health Quality Council of Alberta survey released in April found less than a quarter of residents of long-term-care facilities felt there were enough nurses and aids working during the previous three months.

Residents also reported that staff were available to help when needed less than 50 per cent of the time during the week, dropping to less than 40 per cent of the time on weekends.

While staffing was a key priority identified in the survey, the 2024 Continuing Care Act removed previously legislated minimums for hours of care per day.

Alberta also no longer has a seniors advocate, after the United Conservative Party (UCP) rolled the position into the health advocates office shortly in late 2019.

Lafortune would like the advocates office reinstated, as well as legislated and enforceable minimum staffing and care standards for all continuing care facilities, to ensure all providers "are playing by the same rules."

"Seniors deserve better. They deserve to live in dignity. These are people who have built this province, and they're our loved ones," he said.

"This is a life-and-death situation. We really want to see the minister taking this seriously and not just slough it off and say that we've got it in hand."

Jason Nixon, the minister of seniors, community and social services, said he was unaware of any issues at Touchmark at Wedgewood, and that the province is confident in the regulations and confident that providers "have this all under control."

He said providers are required to follow the protocols outlined and that they are audited on a regular basis during licensing work.

In 2023, there were 16,212 long-term-care beds contracted or operated by AHS.