Recommendations arising from the death of Kamloops senior in Overlander Extended Care ‘ongoing’ says Interior Health

NEWS — This is the second of a two-part report by Michele Young looking at an Interior Health internal investigation into the death of 79-year-old Jack Shippobotham in a Kamloops care home last June. Part 1 reported on the family’s reaction to the report.

By MICHELE YOUNG

Many of the recommendations in a report on the safety of seniors in care homes are already being acted upon, says Interior Health.

The report resulted from an internal investigation following the death of Jack Shippobotham, who was attacked by another resident in Overlander Extended Care last June.

IHA executive director of residential services Karen Bloemink said Thursday the full report consists of several pages and looks at care for seniors and dementia patients not just in the authority’s 80 residential-care facilities, but throughout the health system, including community care and in hospital.

She said many of the recommendations are already under way, such as the working group created to come up with solutions to dealing with dementia patients throughout the health-care system.

“We need to come together as a group of integrated professionals to come up with the best solutions around our care challenges,” said Bloemink.

“It’s a working group. They set the direction for the planning inside IHA to meet the needs of this population. . . . The group has had one meeting and is hoping to get together in February to put together the action plan. It’s the leaders for the sectors, bringing in specific expertise.”

Some of the recommendations were already in the works, even before the Shippobotham case, such as the PIECES program (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Capabilities, Environment and Social).

PIECES helps staff recognize triggers that can upset dementia patients in the early stages so they can act sooner and keep them calmer and safer.

“The professional works with the team to come up with a plan around those triggers, identifying them in advance and gear toward reduction and prevention of those triggers. It’s a critical foundational piece for us,” she said.

Last June, one leader at Overlander had PIECES training. There are now seven.

Bloemink said there will be a cost to implementing all of the recommendations, but she didn’t know what it will be.

“It is going to be ongoing work.”

In addition to safe room locks being installed, Overlander has had more staff added during shift changes as they can be chaotic and cause some agitation among residents, she said.

There is also a committee that assesses all new patients before they are admitted to determine the best place for them, rather than putting them into the first open space and checking later to see if it’s where they should be, she said.

“Our first motivation is safety for staff and residents and we will be proceeding with that in mind,” she said.

Moneca Jantzen, Jack Shippobotham’s daughter, has started up a Facebook page, Stop POP violence (Stop patient-on-patient violence), which has become a meeting place for other families going through similar experiences.

She is interested in returning to Overlander to see what’s been done in the wake of her father’s death.

“I’m glad to see they’ve come up with the changes they have and I hope they see the light of day and the public holds them accountable.”