LITTLE CURRENT—Administration for the Manitoulin Centennial Manor and the Manor board vehemently deny that a previous resident of the Manor had been physically forced to take a COVID-19 vaccination against their will. The claim has been made by a resident of Glencoe, Ontario who said this is exactly what her mother had to endure.
“There is a Facebook posting and it was derogatory to our philosophy (at the Manor),” said Pat MacDonald, chair of the Manor board at a meeting last week. “Some people will get messages on this and Keith (Clement) of Extendicare and (Manor administrator) Don (Cook) will extend that our policy does not allow for it at all. The Manor does not treat our residents like that in any way. We treat residents with respect and care. This family member said this lady had been held down by nurses and forced to be given a vaccination shot.”
“We did investigate the matter and have evidence that we were in the right, and this did not take place,” said Mr. Cook.
Lucy Metcalfe, who is originally from Manitoulin Island but moved away 23 years ago and is now a resident in Glencoe, Ontario told The Expositor that she was shocked at the way her mother was treated while a resident at the Manor. “She lives with me now,” she said. “My mom moved out of the Manor in Little Current then moved to Sudbury to an independent living senior residence in Sudbury for a couple of years and now lives with me. Previous to moving into the Manor, she had lived in the Manitoulin Lodge Nursing Home in Gore Bay where she received her first COVID-19 vaccination. She received her second vaccination when she moved into the Manor, and then it was while she was a resident in the Manor that they told her that she had to have a third (she had reported previously in the week that this incident involved a fourth vaccination shot).”
“Me and my mom were having a conversation yesterday about COVID-19 and her time at the Manor,” said Ms. Metcalfe. “She said, ‘yes, I agreed to the second vaccine shot at the Manor.’ However, she told me that two months later, my mom, who is cognitive, told me all the residents had been called to the craft room where everything was set up for all the residents to get their third shot. At first, she said she would agree to get the shot, but then changed her mind and went back to her room. She had a nurse come into her room and told her, ‘Cecile you need to have a third shot.’ She told me, ‘I looked at them and told them to get out of my room, I’m not taking the shot. You had told me previously that I only needed two vaccines and would be protected.’”
“My mom and the nurse went back and forth and then they told her if she didn’t get the vaccination she would not be able to stay at the Manor,” said Ms. Metcalfe. “My mom said fine, then I won’t stay here. But I’m not getting the shot.’ They started arguing back and forth again, and my mom was told that it was mandatory by law that she needed to have the vaccination shot. After the dispute one nurse grabbed her and held her down, while another nurse held her arm and gave her a needle, without her consent. My mom said she couldn’t fight them off,” said Ms. Metcalfe, who noted her mother was 71 years old at the time of the incident and will be 75 this August. She said the incident took place in September 2021.
“She said she started bawling when the nurses held her down and gave her the shot,” stated an emotional Ms. Metcalfe. “When she told me this story, I asked her ‘why didn’t you call me or my sister?’ She said, ‘no one is going to believe me.’ I told my mom she still should have called me right away. She said after she received the shot it was too late, and that is why she kept her mouth shut.”
“I again asked her, ‘why did you wait so long to tell me about this?’” said Ms. Metcalfe. “My mom said, ‘I didn’t think anyone would believe me and I was too scared to say anything to anybody.’”
“What they (nurses) did to my mother is against her rights,” stated Ms. Metcalfe. “It is abusive, holding down a person and giving them a needle against their will and with no consent.” She explained, “I have been working in nursing homes as a PSW (personal support worker) for the past 28 years. Not once have I forced a resident to do anything they did not want without their consent. And, especially when you are dealing with a cognitive resident who knows what is going on and what they want.”
“My mom told me she had a couple of bruises on her arm for a couple of weeks after the incident,” said Ms. Metcalfe. “I asked her again why she didn’t call me, and she said ‘I was scared, and no one would believe me anyway, because seniors make up things.’ I am just livid right now and I want this story out there. Our next move is to go to a lawyer to find proof that what they did against my mother was against her rights.” She indicated she would also be calling the Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Health to report the incident and see if they can help.
Ms. Metcalfe said when she contacted the Manor she was told, “they would carry out an investigation.”
Mr. Clement said that the Manor board members should respond to any questions about the purported incident in general fashion. “We can’t say anything about the individual, and we can’t go into the details. Social media is social media, people can communicate things quickly and provide their opinion on things. All we can do is ensure people that speak to us that we have strict policies in place against anything like this taking place. If a resident or their designated power of attorney do not consent to receive a vaccine, they won’t receive one. Consent is needed.”
“We just wanted to let the board know all of this is out there on social media,” said Ms. MacDonald. “In our policy our staff always gets consent (from the resident or their power of attorney) before anything is carried out that affects them. Our policy is that we do not use interventions without the consent of the resident or their power of attorney.” She noted that if anyone has any concerns to contact the Manor administration.
“To be fair in this circumstance, if people want to know about our policy and general concepts about the excellent care we provide, we can provide this. But we will check into this (alleged) circumstance,” said Mr. Clement.
Mr. Cook had told The Expositor prior to the Manor board meeting, “I did hear someone was going to The Expositor with a complaint. There are a number of things in the story that don’t make sense. The timelines don’t line up for the accusation. But more importantly, there is no way a resident would receive a vaccination shot without the consent of the resident and their family. We have had other residents who refused that didn’t get shots. That is their right,” he said. “This incident may have happened to the lady, but we know it didn’t happen at the Manor.”
In a letter to families of residents at the Manor, Mr. Cook wrote, “knowing that we live in a small community and word can travel fast around her, I wanted to reach out to you to provide some assurance about a concerning video that has been circulating on social media, mentioning our home.”
“This video falsely claims that a former resident was forced to receive a vaccine for COVID-19,” Mr. Cook wrote. “This is a very concerning allegation, and one that I would like to assure you is untrue.” He explained, “as you will know from your own experiences with our care team’s approach to vaccination for your loved ones, Manitoulin Centennial Manor follows clear standards from the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care that apply to every long-term care home in the province, and these require consent to be obtained before any vaccination is administered.”
“No resident has ever been forced to receive a vaccine in our home,” wrote Mr. Cook. “In all cases, if cognitively capable residents or their power of attorney do not consent to receive a vaccine, they will not receive one.”
“We take the question of resident consent seriously, throughout all care and services we provide,” continued Mr. Cook. “Please let me know if you have any questions about this and I would be happy to discuss with you directly.”
