On March 27, 2013 this Edmonton woman was so severely injured at Alberta Hospital that she had to be sent to the emergency room of the University Hospital. The injuries were allegedly sustained at 3:00 PM, however no ambulance was on site until 4:30 PM.

It was reported that her lips were sliced open, an obvious bruise on her forehead, blood everywhere. Though it was reported that she had slipped
and fallen, the doctor who saw her told family that it could not have been a fall,
but rather a beating.

Lisa’s room mate said that a man and a woman beat Lisa’s head into the cement floor. This was denied by the Social worker.

Though difficult to believe, Lisa Goltman was returned to Alberta Hospital. A complaint alleging staff abuse & assault was made to Alberta Health Services. However their internal probe allegedly did not reveal any evidence of inappropriate conduct. Police have failed to issue a Report. Staff and security personnel have provided conflicting stories to the police. To date there has been no explanation for the severe injuries.

Friday evening, May 3/13, the young woman told her family that she was scared that she was going to die. Later that evening, Alberta Hospital staff placed her in seclusion for allegedly ‘misbehaving’. In the early morning hours, of May 4, 2013 she was found dead.

Family & Police were called at 3:00 AM. Police did not allow family to view deceased until several hours later for the reason that police told family that they did not like the position of the body.

It is not clear if there is an ongoing police investigation or if police are waiting for toxicology reports from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

We have many accounts on our website detailing neglect and violence at Alberta Hospital and the now Covenant Health Geriatric Villa Caritas.

December 20, 2011, we appealed for cameras to the Honourable Minister of
Justice, Verlyn Olson.

We have publicly stated that these documented mental & physical
assaults of vulnerable persons, parallel the abuses cited in the 1982 Randall Ivany Ombudsman Report of the then Alberta Hospital Geriatric Unit.

The injuries were allegedly sustained at 3:00 PM, however no ambulance was on site until 4:30 PM.

It was reported that her lip was sliced open, a bruised left eye, an injury to her forehead, blood everywhere.

Though Alberta Hospital staff reported that the injuries were caused by  slipping
and falling, the emergency physician who saw her, told family that it could not have been a fall, but rather a beating.

Lisa’s room mate told family that a man and a woman beat Lisa’s head into the cement floor. This was denied by the Social worker.

via Better Business Bureau

September 13, 2012

Dr. Chris. Eagle, CEO, Alberta Health Services
Office of the President & CEO ?Manulife Place,
700 – 10180 101 Street,
Edmonton, AB T5J 3S4

Chief of Police, Mr. Rod Knecht
Edmonton Police Service,
9620 – 103A Ave.,
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 0H7

Ms. Shirley Hamilton DOB July 11, 1936, resident of Brampton, Ontario Detained at stn. 5G2, University of Hospital, Edmonton, AB. since November 2011.

As told to us by Joanne, daughter of Shirley Hamilton, At 7:00 PM, September 12, 2012, Joanne received a phone call from her mother. Hamilton was sobbing, saying she did not know where she was and that she was very frightened. She told her that she was in a room with another lady.

She told daughter that at 8:30 AM, that morning, on Unit 5 G2, University Hospital, her physician injected her twice, two needles / injections. Then, still in housecoat, was taken in a wheelchair down to a waiting taxi. By the time she was in the taxi, she told Joanne that she felt numbed and could no longer speak. She was accompanied by a social worker.

During the said phone call, the lady in the room told Shirley Hamilton that they were at Aspen House in Morinville, AB, At that point, a person (nurse?) entered the room, seized the phone from Shirley Hamilton and strongly told her, “You have no phone privileges.”

When later, daughter attempted to phone the facility, she was told that her mother has “no phone privileges.”

Earlier on that same day, September 12, 2012, about 9:00 AM, daughter of Shirley Hamilton was unable to reach her mother by phone, detained at Unit 5G2.

Subsequently she was informed by the desk person and Sheila Fogel, Social Worker at the University Hospital, that Hamilton’s phone was not functional because they were trying to fix the radios and this resulted in interference.

Daughter then phoned the Hospitality Office which supplies phone service to patients and was informed that the Public Trustee had not made payment for Hamilton’s phone service past Tuesday, the 11th of September, 2012.

In this matter, we allege: 

• Elder abuse
• Aasault – unwarranted drugging
• Kidnapping – the schlepping to rural Alberta in night clothes – without Hamilton’s knowledge, against her will
• Unlawful confinement – the power to determine where Shirley Hamilton should live, which was granted by the Court to the Office of the Public Guardian, is based on a corrupt court hearing.

At 2:30 PM, daughter was informed by Aspen House staff, who had intervened on behalf of the Hamiltons. Shirley Hamilton will be allowed to speak to her daughter every day after lunch with the stipulation by the Public guardian, that the call must be monitored by Aspen House personnel.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Elder Advocates of Alberta Society

cc.
the Honourable Mr. Frank Oberle
the Honourable Mr. Fred Horne, Minister of Health & Wellness
Shirley Hamilton

VIA Facsimile – 780 415 8738

The Honourable Mr. Frank Oberle,
Associate Minister of Human services
402 Legislature Office,

Attention: Debra

We request a meeting with the Minister concerning the following matter.

Reference: [the client] We shall refer to her as the client.

Public Trustee Representative, Wendy Babichuk, Office of the Public Trustee, Edmonton, AB. Wendy Babichuk is [the client's] Public Trustee Representative. We shall refer to her as Trust Officer.

History:

Trust Officer has determined to sell client’s home at [removed] and informed client of same.

Client is in great anguish at the prospect of being evicted from her domicile. She has told us that she does not wish to leave her home, her neighborhood, her friends. Trustee Officer has been strongly insisting that client immediately sign a lease.

The TD Bank has been most helpful and has even contacted Trustee Officer in regard to the following.

A line of credit against the home of $ 219,580.72 can be amortized over 25 years which would require a payment of $1026.83 monthly. The proposed town house, which would be suitable for two persons which client has viewed and at the urging of trust officer has put a deposit, on would require payment of $1774. monthly – close to $9,000 more per year.

There are many advantages other than financial, for the client to remain in her home and be supported to stay in her home.

Her home is much more spacious than the town house, allowing a family member to live with her. She also has pets to which she is deeply attached. They provide therapy for her.

Client lives in a community where neighbors know each other, shovel the sidewalk for her, leaving only the driveway for her. She visits with neighbors. She alleges that they look out for her.

We often visit individuals who have had their homes sold out from under them, living in public housing. They are like lost souls grieving the loss of their roots.

Public Advocates have a duty of care to act in the best interests of the client.

We wish to meet with the Minister’s Office in regard to this issue.

We wish to again exercise a complaint against Trust Officer, which we have reported to the Minister’s Office this morning shortly after 10:AM. Part of the bullying conversation reported to us was as follows: “Make sure you pay your bills or you’ll be out on the street”

Trust Officer threatened her and told her that she would be put under the guardian’s office and “They’ll tell you where to live.”

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Elder Advocates of Alberta Society

Via Facsimile 780 422 2722

Honourable Mr. Ric McIvor,
Minister of Transportation,
425 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, Canada T5K 2B6

Dear Mr. Minister:

Reference: DriveABLE Assessment Corp. Inc. multi-million dollar, private for profit enterprise, housed in Alberta Health Services (AHS) Red Deer Health Care Centre misrepresenting themselves as if they were part of AHS and approved by Alberta Transportation.

Please advise us why this private business enterprise is housed in a tax payer funded facility?

We continue to be deeply concerned with the Simard MD and DriveABlE testing. To date we have not been provided with scientific validation criteria from the Founders of these tests and therefore must finally conclude that no ethical validation exists.

Across the province, seniors are being abused by this protocol despite being the safest drivers in the province. They have the lowest casualty rates.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Elder Advocates of Alberta Society

Response

Via Facsimile 780 422 2722

Honourable Mr. Ric McIvor,
Minister of Transportation,
425 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, Canada T5K 2B6

Dear Mr. Minister:

Re: Elder abuse protocol

Seniors are the safest drivers on Alberta roads, so why is your government allowing them to be subjected to the unfair, discriminatory testing by the Simard MD and the DriveAble personnel? Predation is being allowed and even facilitated.

We look forward to working with you and your office to remedy the present morass which has been created throughout the province.

Thank you again.

Yours truly,

Elder Advocates of Alberta Society

Box 332 Plamondon, AB T0A 2T0

September 3, 2012

Assistant Deputy Minister
Transportation Safety Services
4999-98 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB, T6B 2X3

Attention: Shaun Hammond

Dear Sir:

This is a follow-up to our August 21, 2012 meeting with you, the Minister of Transport and Ruth Adria & company. Your interest and concern regarding the matter of unnecessary loss of drivers’ licenses is much appreciated. As per your request, here are my recommendations regarding the SIMARD MD test, and the procedures we followed in order to regain my husband’s operators’ license.

As a veteran teacher of 33 years, I have administered assessment tests to students with learning difficulties, behavioral problems, etc…Upon studying the SIMARD MD test given to my husband, Bob (from which Dr. Crum determined that there was a gray area in his cognitive skills and decided that his operators’ license be revoked), I concluded it was an unfair and invalid measure to determine any anyone’s competency in driving.

At the beginning of the test, the examiner slowly reads a list of 10 words asking the client to repeat as many words as possible. Most people are quite successful in doing so. The examiner repeats the same words and again the client repeats as many words as he/she can and in most cases the client does even better than the first time, as in the case of my husband. No scores are given at this point.

The first task to be scored is to write 2 numerals in word form as in writing a cheque. This is an acceptable question as it is significant in a person’s day-to-day life.

The second question is to name in one minute as many items as one can remember that can be bought in a supermarket. For many men this is something they may not be very familiar with, as it is usually the wife who does the household shopping, especially among the older population. In addition, not all rural people have had access to supermarkets all their lives, so they have a tendency to group items such as: meat, vegetables, fruit, condiments, dairy products, etc… falling short of the perfect score of 30 items in the one minute. Thus I find this a discriminating question for many senior rural people.

The last task is to recall and name the 10 words given at the beginning of the test. Not having been told that these words would have to be recalled at a later time, most people’s scores will be very low. These unrelated irrelevant words have very little significance to them; therefore the need to put these to memory is not important. For each recalled word 8 points are allotted. Because there is so much weight given to this part of the test, this is where most individuals score very low, in the case of my husband. In a sense, this is almost setting up a person for failure, something that I, as a professional, abhor.

My husband was administered 5 tests: EXIT, MOCA, MMSE, Geriatric Depression Scale, and the SIMARD MD. He scored well in the normal range in all first four tests, but scored low on the SIMARD MD. This is the test that caused us so much grief, as this is the one test from which Dr. Crum concluded that he was “incompetent to drive”. She then told him he was not allowed to drive until he went for the Driveable Assessment. She didn’t take into consideration that the other tests were all in the normal range. To have drawn a conclusion on one of five tests didn’t make sense to us; it seemed very unjust. Therefore, we didn’t accept this verdict, nor did any of our friends, family & acquaintances.

This led me to experiment. As my husband is very very competent driver, I wanted to find out if, in fact, this test was a valid indicator for driving competency. (In actuality, I wanted to prove that this was not a valid indicator of one’s driving competency.) I approached some professionals (including a high profile MLA) and a few other responsible citizens in our community who held a range of occupations, and asked if they would be agreeable to take a short test, as I was doing some research. All collaborated in taking the 5-minute test. All those questioned are considered by themselves and others to be competent drivers. It was not surprising to me that a good number of them would have had to be referred to Driveable Assessment. This did not make sense to anyone of us. The incriminating question was always the third one asking for delayed recall of words that have no relevancy to most people.

The SIMARD MD is a pilot-screening test for the Driveable Assessment Program, a private for profit third party. Although it is denied that it targets seniors, it is strange that it is mostly seniors who get referred. It should also be noted that the largest percentage of automobile accidents do not involve seniors, as it is not commonly seniors who speed exceedingly, who drive intoxicated causing horrible fatalities, who take undue risks of passing on solid lines, or get pulled over for distracted driving such as using cell phones, texting, etc… My recommendation is for the government to legislate the abolishment of the use of the SIMARD MD test to assess driving ability and the pilot Driveable Assessment Program.

It is unfortunate that some doctors are using this as a tool to quickly process patients through this avenue and avoid their responsibility in making good decisions for their patients. I also recommend that before anyone is referred to Driveable Assessment that the patient be allowed to seek a second opinion, and that more thorough evaluation is done before stripping one’s license to drive. The SIMARD MD and Driveable Assessment Program have entrapped too many seniors who do not have the resources to clear themselves. Many are not competent on a computer so they feel intimidated by one, and if they do not pass the in-office computer test, they cannot do the road test to prove their ability to drive. Thus, it strips them of their rights. I believe we live in a democratic province with a government that is elected to work for the good of its people. I truly beg you to look closely at the atrocity to which some of our people are being subjected. One day, if changes do not occur, you and I may find ourselves entrapped in this program.

You also asked what procedures we took to have my husband’s operator’s license reinstated. Therefore, I’ve enclosed documentation of the whole agonizing process: the consultation with our lawyer, with a second doctor’s assessment, and a 2 hour Psychological Assessment at our own expense which proved that my husband, Bob, is cognitively sound. No citizen of Alberta should have to go to such measures to regain one’s drivers’ license because of an incriminating test of 3 questions deeming him or her incompetent in driving.

I trust, that you will consider my recommendations for the well being of senior Albertans.

Yours truly,

Rena M Braund

Letter to Minister of Transportation

August 8, 2012

Via Facsimile 780 422 2722

Honourable Mr. Ric McIvor,
Minister of Transportation,
425 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, Canada T5K 2B6

Dear Mr. Minister:

Thank you for graciously meeting with us in the lovely Carillon Room on the morning of the 21st of August, 2012 in regard to driver licensing issues.

We anticipate the assistance which your staff will render to Albertans, who seeking to renew their licenses, were unjustly subjected to the Simard MD and DriveAble protocol.

We look forward to working with you and your office to remedy the present morass which has been created throughout the province.

Thank you again.

Yours truly,

Elder Advocates of Alberta Society