NEWS HR

David Carr has given notice of his resignation as the Chief Executive Officer of the Manager of Vital Healthcare Property Trust.

Extendicare will nominate Samir Manji and Norma Beauchamp as directors at its upcoming annual general meeting to be held on May 30, 2019.

Sarah Reaume, who steps down this month as CEO of Habitat Sarnia-Lambton, is leaving the not-for-profit in a much different state than when she was hired in 2010. The charity was still mostly volunteer-run at that point, with one person working in the office and three working at a Re-Store operation in rented space on Christina Street that generated approximately $550,000 annually from selling donated building materials. At the time, Habitat for Humanity was creating homes for one or two low-income families locally every year or two. Today, it has a staff of 23 and creates homes for four or more families each year with the help of a small army of volunteers. Habitat moved to a building it bought on London Line in 2012, where the Re-Store now generates $1.3 million in annual sales, paying for the charity’s local operating and administrative costs while contributing $200,000 or more annually to its home-building program.

A contaminated salad containing duck meat is suspected of having killed five residents of a care home for the elderly in southern France. Four women and a man, aged from 76 to 95, died after eating the salad on Sunday night. In all, 20 people at the home near Toulouse suffered vomiting and other symptoms of food poisoning. Twelve of those taken ill are in hospital, but not in grave danger. The salad ingredients, including duck foie gras (pâté), are being examined.

A woman has been accused of deliberately putting spicy food in the meal of an elderly man while working as a caretaker at an aged-care facility. Kyra Johnson, 30, was arrested by police, following reports she fed an 81-year-old with dementia jalapeño peppers, despite her knowledge he was not accustomed to eating spicy food. Employees at the Village on the Park retirement home allegedly saw Ms Johnson “chop up and place a jalapeño pepper” in a portion of the man’s eggs and feeding them to him, even though he did not require assistance eating. Witnesses reportedly told police they saw the victim “fanning and gasping for air to cool his mouth” after unknowingly eating the jalapeño peppers. Employees alleged it was Ms Johnson’s intention to cause the man pain and suffering. A witness reportedly said: “I hope that is not hot” prior to the meal being served, with Ms Johnson allegedly replying: “I hope it is”. The man reportedly relied on help from employees in the memory care unit. Ms Johnson, who no longer works at the aged-care unit, was arrested and charged with abuse by a caretaker.

Sault Area Hospital has a new boss. Wendy Hansson has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Sault Ste. Marie’s prime health-care facility, effective July 3.

A Roman Catholic priest has been arrested on a misdemeanour assault charge after he was accused of groping a woman in home hospice care while giving her last rites.

Professor Stephen Hawking’s nurse has been struck off for failures over his care and financial misconduct. Patricia Dowdy, 61, who worked for the renowned scientist for 15 years, was handed an interim suspension in 2016, it emerged at the weekend. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has now found she did not “provide the standards of good, professional care we expect and Professor Hawking deserved”. Mrs Dowdy said she was upset and did not want to comment. The NMC made its decision to remove Mrs Dowdy, from Ipswich, from the nursing register at a private hearing in London. A fitness to practise panel said Mrs Dowdy’s behaviour amounted to financial misconduct, dishonesty, not providing appropriate care, failing to cooperate with the NMC and not having the correct qualifications. Matthew McClelland, director of fitness to practise, said: “As the public rightly expects, in serious cases such as this – where a nurse has failed in their duty of care and has not been able to give evidence to the panel that they have learned from their mistakes and be fit to practise – we will take action. “We have remained in close contact with the Hawking family throughout this case and I am grateful to them – as they approach the anniversary of Professor Hawking’s death – and others for sharing their concerns with us. A family spokesman said Prof Hawking’s family was “relieved this traumatic ordeal has now concluded and that as a result of the verdict, others will not have to go through what they suffered from this individual”. “They want to thank the NMC for their thorough investigation,” he added. Prof Hawking died at his home in Cambridge in March last year aged 76 having lived with motor neurone disease for more than 50 years.