Caretaker in B.C. Woman’s Starvation Death Reports Lack of Management Support
A caregiver reveals inadequate support from management before a woman’s tragic death in B.C., raising serious concerns about care standards.
Burnaby, B.C., Florence Girard, Kinsight Community Society, Community Living BC
BURNABY: So, there’s this heartbreaking story about a caregiver named Astrid Dahl. She took care of a woman named Florence Girard, who sadly starved to death back in 2018. Astrid shared that the homecare organization she worked for didn’t really help her out much. They didn’t provide the pain meds or nutritional support that Florence needed.
Astrid mentioned that she had to cut back on the stronger pain medication because Kinsight Community Society wouldn’t cover the costs. Instead, she had to switch to a cheaper option, which wasn’t as effective. It’s just so sad because Florence, who had Down syndrome, was in constant pain as she got older.
Kinsight was supposed to oversee the home-sharing service where Florence lived with Astrid. But when Florence started losing weight, there was no nutritionist support from Kinsight. Astrid ended up asking her mom, who used to be a nurse, for advice instead.
When Florence passed away, she weighed only about 50 pounds. It’s a tragic situation that raises a lot of questions about the care standards in these programs. Astrid was even convicted in 2022 for not providing the necessary care to Florence. It’s just a really tough story to hear.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on January 15, 2024.