AgeCare Aurora (32 Mill Street, Aurora, Ontario) is operated by AgeCare, a for-profit operator of long-term care homes in Canada. There are approximately 230 beds.
AgeCare Aurora is formerly owned and operated by Chartwell, a for-profit operator of senior accommodations in Canada. The facility was previously known as Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence.
Our research team carefully reviewed and summarized inspection reports for AgeCare Aurora. You can read the original copies of the reports in the Government of Ontario website.
Inspection Reports for AgeCare Aurora
Chartwell completed its sale of long-term care homes to AgeCare on September 6, 2023. Inspection results after this date should not be attributed to Chartwell operations.
🔍 December 2023: Inspection
The original inspection report for AgeCare Aurora can be viewed in the Government of Ontario website.
Inspection Reports for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence
Chartwell completed its sale of long-term care homes to AgeCare on September 6, 2023. Inspection results before this date should not be attributed to AgeCare operations.
🔍 August 2023: Inspection
During the course of this inspection, the inspector(s) made relevant observations, reviewed records and conducted interviews, as applicable. There were no findings of non-compliance.
🔍 June 2023: Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence in Aurora, conducted by Eric Tang and Asal Fouladgar, was initiated due to complaints and critical incidents. It covered various areas, including food, nutrition, hydration, continence care, resident care and support services, responsive behaviors, falls prevention and management, and the prevention of abuse and neglect.
- Plan of Care: There were instances where staff failed to collaborate effectively when implementing the resident’s plan of care, particularly in situations where residents exhibited responsive behaviors. This non-compliance highlighted a lack of communication and coordination among staff, particularly in adapting care interventions to manage responsive behaviors appropriately.
- Documentation Issues: The inspection found that outcomes of care in the plan of care were not always documented by registered nursing staff. This gap in documentation could potentially risk harm to residents by not fully communicating their health status and care interventions among the care team.
- Safe Transferring Techniques: The report noted a failure to use safe transferring devices after a resident’s fall, increasing the risk of further injury. This indicated a need for strict adherence to the home’s fall prevention policy regarding the use of appropriate transfer techniques.
A compliance order was issued due to the facility’s failure to ensure that residents at high risk for choking received the required supervision during mealtime. This order mandated actions to improve training and implementation of care interventions during meals to prevent choking hazards.
🔍 February 2022: Complaints Inspection
During the course of this inspection, Non-Compliances were not issued.
🔍 February 2022: Critical Incident Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence, conducted by inspectors Jack Shi and Eric Tang, was focused on addressing a series of critical incidents reported within the facility. These incidents ranged from falls and significant changes in resident conditions to allegations of resident abuse.
- Plan of Care: It was discovered that the staff failed to properly collaborate and monitor a resident following a fall, leading to missed opportunities for timely interventions.
- Policies and Procedures: The facility did not adhere to its Falls Prevention Program policies, specifically failing to conduct a Head Injury Routine (HIR)/neurological assessment for a resident after an unwitnessed fall, which could have provided crucial monitoring and intervention.
- Skin and Wound Care: A weekly skin assessment for a resident with altered skin integrity was not completed as required, potentially delaying healing and appropriate care for the resident’s condition.
- Reporting to Director: An allegation of verbal abuse from a staff member to a resident was not immediately reported to the Director, contrary to requirements, indicating a lapse in the facility’s internal reporting and investigative processes.
The facility was requested to prepare voluntary plans of correction (VPC) for each area of non-compliance. These actions include enhancing collaboration among care staff, adhering to falls prevention and skin and wound care policies, and ensuring timely reporting of incidents and allegations to the Director.
🔍 October 2021: Critical Incident Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence, carried out by Susan Semeredy, focused on nutrition and hydration.
- Plan of Care: The inspection identified a failure in ensuring that the plans of care for two residents were adequately based on an interdisciplinary assessment of safety risks associated with their eating behaviors. It was noted that both residents exhibited behaviors that could potentially pose safety risks during eating, but these were not adequately addressed or reflected in their plans of care. This oversight highlighted a gap in the facility’s approach to managing and mitigating risks associated with resident nutrition and hydration.
A compliance order was served to Chartwell. The order emphasized the necessity of assessing residents with eating behaviors by an interdisciplinary team and developing care plans that specifically address the safety risks associated with these behaviors, possibly including constant supervision during meals and snacks.
🔍 July 2021: Complaints Inspection
During the course of this inspection, Non-Compliances were not issued.
🔍 July 2021: Critical Incident Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence, conducted by Moses Neelam and Romela Villaspir, focused on incidents related to resident falls and injuries.
- Collaboration and Assessment: The inspection revealed a failure in ensuring effective collaboration between Personal Support Workers (PSW) and Agency Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) in assessing residents upon re-admission and post-incident, leading to delays in addressing residents’ injuries and pain.
- Plan of Care Implementation: It was found that the care specified in the plans of care was not provided as required, especially in assisting residents with high risk for incidents and in supervising nutritional intake, posing risks to the residents’ well-being.
- Temperature Monitoring: The facility did not measure and document temperatures in designated cooling areas as required, potentially jeopardizing the ability to identify and address temperature concerns.
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Measures: There were failures in ensuring that essential visitors and staff complied with Directive #3’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage requirements, specifically in droplet precaution rooms, posing risks of infection transmission.
- Documentation: The licensee failed to ensure comprehensive documentation of resident assessments post-incident, increasing the potential for overlooking changes in residents’ status.
🔍 May 2021: Complaints Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence, conducted by Jennifer Batten, was initiated due to a complaint received regarding allegations of resident neglect and unsafe resident lift and transfer practices occurring in the home. Additionally, a Critical Incident System inspection related to an ongoing outbreak in the home was conducted concurrently.
- Orientation Requirements: The inspection revealed that the licensee failed to ensure staff received required education before using equipment, including mechanical lifts, which was highlighted as a significant area of non-compliance. This failure was specifically related to the provision of training on the safe and correct use of equipment.
- Lifting and Transferring Practices: Observations and interviews indicated that recreation aides, who had not received proper training or education on the safe usage of mechanical lift equipment or safe lifting and transferring techniques, were assisting Personal Support Workers (PSWs) with the repositioning, transferring, and lifting of residents using mechanical devices. This practice occurred in an attempt to save time due to staffing constraints, placing residents at risk of harm due to potential incorrect usage of mechanical devices and improper lifting and transferring techniques.
- Policy and Training Gaps: The home’s internal policy required two staff members to be present during the use of mechanical devices for resident assistance, with annual training for staff involved in such tasks. However, recreation staff, who were involved in assisting with these tasks, did not receive the necessary education and training, as these duties were not included in their job descriptions.
The inspection resulted in the issuance of a Written Notification (WN) for failing to comply with the training requirements, and a request for a Voluntary Plan of Correction (VPC) was made.
🔍 May 2021: Critical Incident Inspection
The inspection for Chartwell Aurora Long Term Care Residence, conducted by Jennifer Batten, was aimed at addressing a critical incident related to an ongoing outbreak in the home. Concurrently, a Complaint inspection was also conducted, focusing on allegations of resident neglect and unsafe resident lift and transfer practices.
- Dining and Snack Service: The inspection identified failures in ensuring that food and fluids were served at safe and palatable temperatures. Due to an outbreak, residents were isolated and served meals in Styrofoam containers, which led to the food being served at suboptimal temperatures. The licensee was ordered to conduct daily audits for two weeks to ensure food temperatures and safe positioning of residents during meals.
- Safe Storage of Drugs: Medication carts and rooms were observed to be unlocked and unsecured, posing a risk of residents accessing and ingesting medications unsafely. Compliance orders were issued to secure medication storage areas and carts when not in use.
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Measures: During the COVID-19 outbreak, staff were observed not adhering to proper IPAC practices, including incorrect PPE usage and inadequate cleaning measures. The licensee was ordered to enhance leadership, monitoring, and supervision to ensure adherence to IPAC practices, provide sufficient PPE, and ensure cleaning supplies were adequately stocked.
Chartwell was required to address these issues, through specific actions, including conducting audits to ensure compliance, improving IPAC practices, and securing medication storage.
