Park Street Place under scrutiny
By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The owners of Park Street Place Retirement Residence are in hot water following a report released Oct. 2 by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority.
According to a four-page “management order in extraordinary circumstances” document received by The Voice Oct. 3, short staffing has put the 48 residents who live at the Dresden facility “at risk of harm.”
Short staffing has plagued the senior care home for some time, the report stated, but the issue came to a head the morning of Sept. 25 when no staff were available to dispense medications or to provide basic care.
Only a cook, housekeeper and maintenance person were on site as the RPN scheduled to work didn’t come in. RHRA officials received a call about the situation at 7 a.m. and an inspector arrived on site at 9:45 a.m.
The report stated that there was “no staff available to care for residents” and that critical medications, such as diabetic insulin, were locked in a cupboard with no key.
Additionally, the report said a resident fell from a wheelchair and was placed back in the chair with no follow-up care.
However, the order said that an RPN who was scheduled to work the afternoon shift came in early to assist.
But Sept. 25 isn’t the first time RHRA has been called to Park Street Place. Following an inspection in September 2023, the owners were issued a warning letter Sept. 18 stating residents were not being bathed according to the schedule.
An anonymous source who has a family member of the home said staff are not to blame.
“There are hardworking people in that building that need some help,” the source said, but also noted she may be forced to pull her elderly relative out of Park Street if the situation isn’t resolved.
“I clean the bathroom when I visit her,” the woman stated. “I noticed that wasn’t getting done.”
Another source who didn’t want her name used said she’s heard that staff aren’t showing up for work because they are not getting paid.
Phil Norris, communications spokesperson for the Toronto-based RHRA, confirmed that a management order under extraordinary circumstances was made due to critical staff shortages that “may have resulted in harm or risk of harm to residents of the home.
“Whenever there is a situation of harm, or risk of harm, RHRA will not hesitate to take action,” Norris told The Voice.
Norris said a new manager was appointed with the approval of RHRA on Sept. 26, and will oversee operations at the home until the management order is lifted, noting the manager is retained by the licensee at the company’s expense.
According to Norris, the RHRA will continue to monitor the situation to “ensure that residents are receiving the high standard of care that is required under the Retirement Homes Act.”
As of press time, The Voice was unable to confirm who owns the facility as the order refers only to the “licensee,” as an Ontario numbered company.
According to RHRA guidelines, the owners of a facility found to be in noncompliance can face a $50,000 fine for a first violation and a $200,000 fine for subsequent violations
Established in 2011, the RHRA is a self-funded independent non-profit that exists to ensure the safety and well-being of seniors living in Ontario’s retirement homes under the 2010 Retirement Homes Act. As part of its mandate, the RHRA inspects retirement homes and ensures compliance when the rules are being broken.
