Siblings of man who died in filthy room at Greycliff Manor ‘distraught, disgusted’ by experience
It's too late for Chris Gladders.
But after seeing the deplorable conditions the 35-year-old Hamilton man was living in at a Niagara Falls retirement home, his surviving family members hope by sharing his story others might be spared the same fate.
This happens all over Ontario, and you hear the stories everyday," said his sister, Melissa Sayegh. You just hope at one time it will change for somebody."
Chris died a week ago at Greycliff Manor after a medically assisted death procedure, lying in a room his siblings described as stained with feces and urine.
It was definitely a tough thing to walk into there on Friday. I was absolutely distraught, disgusted, anything you could think of. I was just floored," said his older brother, Shawn Gladders. It's traumatizing what I saw. I can only imagine what (Chris) went through."
It just boggles my mind," Melissa added.
Wearing full personal protective equipment at the time due to a COVID-19 outbreak that was ongoing at the long-term care home at the time, Shawn said he and Melissa were permitted to enter the facility on compassionate grounds on Jan. 22 to see Chris before the scheduled procedure that would ultimately end his suffering a day later.
Despite the revolting conditions they found at the 62-bed facility on Lundy's Lane, Shawn and Melissa didn't want to spend any of their brother's final hours complaining about the filth.
At the time, there was much more on the table for me than for me to run around fighting about his living conditions. There was just much more there for me. I didn't want to waist any time that I had left with my brother worrying about that."
They did, however, take several disturbing photographs clearly showing the deplorable conditions in the room, and shared several with Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates - who promptly issued a letter to the provincial government, demanding an emergency takeover of Greycliff.
As of Friday afternoon, Gates said the only response his office received was an email from Ontario's Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho, acknowledging the letter had been received.
Melissa said the family has yet to hear a word from the home, or the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority that approved new management for the facility after revoking the licence from its owner, the Martino family in Hamilton.
We haven't had a response from the owners or anyone from the home, nothing," Melissa said.
Shawn said his brother began considering a medically assisted death in September, after years of living with Fabry's disease, a rare and painful genetic disorder.
He said Chris' condition deteriorated over the past 10 years, leaving him unable to walk.
Shawn said he tried to talk Chris out of his decision to end his life, but said Chris was adamant.
After suffering several strokes as a result of the disease, including one two weeks earlier, Shawn said Chris was concerned another stroke would leave him unable to communicate.
He said, I have control of this decision now,'" Shawn said. His exact words were: I'm going to go be pain-free, with mom and dad.'"
Shawn and Melissa returned to Greycliff on Saturday, to be at their brother's side during the procedure.
I didn't want him to die alone, and I made sure he knew I was there," Shawn said.
Chris died at 3:54 p.m., leaving behind daughters, Hailee, 13, and five-year-old Savannah.
RHRA communication manager Phil Norris said Greycliff was inspected 13 times in the past year, including Dec. 9 after new management was brought in and approved by the organization.
The results, published online Jan. 12, showed only that the home was not in compliance with infection prevention and control practices related to COVID-19.
In an email, Norris said the RHRA is assessing information collected through the mandatory reporting process in order to determine appropriate next steps," possibly including additional inquiries or inspections.
He said the organization could not comment on the incident specifically while that process is underway.
However, Norris encouraged people with concerns about retirement home residents to bring them to its attention.
If you see something, say something," Norris said.
The RHRA's top priority is the safety and wellbeing of Ontario's retirement home residents. Keeping them safe from harm is at the heart of everything we do, and we will not hesitate to use our regulatory powers and resources to make that happen."
Norris also referred to staff shortages that many long-term care homes have been facing.
Over the course of the pandemic, we recognize that health care staffing resources have been an issue throughout care settings across the province," he said.
Although legislation doesn't include minimum staffing requirements, Norris said homes do need to meet residents' care needs.
Chris's siblings say they have no idea how long he had been living in those conditions. Shawn said his brother's room was up a stairway, isolated from other parts of the retirement home.
During past visits, Shawn said he never entered Chris's room. Workers, instead, would bring Chris out to meet him and then retrieve him when Shawn was leaving.
I never once stepped in there until Friday," he said. I'm kicking myself for that, because had I looked, I wouldn't even leave a dog in there, let alone a breathing human being."
Melissa said Chris was moved to the Niagara Falls facility in the spring, after the ward he was staying in at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said Chris shouldn't have been in Greycliff in the first place.
Shawn said he was told by a worker there that his brother should have never ended up there because they didn't have the equipment and proper tools to care for him."
Allan Benner is a St. Catharines-based reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: allan.benner@niagaradailies.com