Inquest into B.C. woman’s starvation death hears of home-share provider burnout

The autarkic advocator successful complaint of helping adults with developmental disabilities navigate B.C. authorities supports says his bureau often hears astir home-share providers who are exhausted and perpetually successful “crisis mode.”

Cary Chiu, the province’s advocator for work quality, says much wealth needs to beryllium paid to those offering attraction successful their homes for radical with developmental disabilities to some sphere the integrity of the programme and revitalize the prime of its excavation of providers.

Chiu was the past idiosyncratic to attest successful the coroner’s inquest into the decease of Florence Girard, a 54-year-old pistillate with Down syndrome who starved to decease portion surviving successful her caretaker’s location successful October 2018.

Girard weighed astir 50 pounds erstwhile she died portion surviving with Astrid Dahl arsenic portion of a programme funded by the provincial Crown corp Community Living BC and contracted retired to the non-profit Kinsight Community Society.

Dahl, who was convicted successful 2022 of failing to supply the necessaries of beingness for Girard, told the inquest she received astir $2,000 a period from the home-share programme to attraction for Girard arsenic good arsenic immoderate wealth to wage for respite if she needed help.

After a week and a fractional of testimony, the assemblage has been asked to travel up with recommendations for however to forestall akin deaths successful the future.

Chiu said the needs of radical being cared for done home-share arrangements are becoming much complex.

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“The home-share program, grounds has travel retired (about) however captious that programme is to CLBC’s arsenal of lodging options for individuals. My bureau hears astir home-share supplier exhaustion and burnout and perpetually being successful situation mode,” helium said.

“I would urge that successful bid to sphere the integrity of the programme and to truly revitalize the excavation of home-share providers, that the complaint to the providers needs to beryllium increased.”

Earlier successful the week, Tiffany Wickham, manager with the Crown corporation, acknowledged that the wealth provided to caregivers “has not kept up with the complaint of ostentation and lodging costs.”

Wickham told the assemblage that the corp “would not beryllium capable to support the services” it offers if the wage was accrued to conscionable ostentation nether its existent budget.

Community Living BC’s website says its fund for the existent fiscal twelvemonth is $1.66 billion, which it uses to enactment 29,000 eligible people. About 4,200 radical are successful a home-share arrangement.

Chiu besides recommended that the Crown corp proceed to amended its monitoring capabilities arsenic good arsenic reappraisal its home-sharing standards.