Vaughan care home worker charged after alleged assaults against elderly resident

A personal support worker (PSW) has been charged after an alleged assault against an elderly man at a care home in Vaughan.

In a release, York Regional Police say investigators were first notified of alleged elder abuse on Feb. 2.

Police say investigators learned an 89-year-old man was allegedly assaulted by a PSW on Jan. 29, and then again on Feb. 2.

Officers have charged 32-year-old Suman Soni, of Caledon, with two counts of assault.

York Regional police say they are sharing pictures of the suspect because they believe there could be more alleged victims. It’s possible she worked as a PSW at multiple locations through out the pandemic.

“Lot of the residents that are being cared for, they suffer from all manner of things, dementia, Alzheimer’s, those kinds of things. So they’re not able to advocate for themselves,” said Const. Lisa Moskaluk. “So we are appealing to families of loved ones who would have in-home care or have their loved ones at resident homes that believe that this care worker is looking after their loved one.”

Police are not naming the care home in question to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

Long-term care advocate Vivian Stamatopouls says this case is sadly part of a growing trend.

“We know that this is a big, big problem and it’s upsetting to see it continuing without any real action to mitigate it,” said Stamatopouls.

She tells CityNews thousands of staff to resident abuse cases have been documented in long-term care homes in Ontario with many others going unreported and that it’s rare for charges to be laid.

“I’ve heard from so many families who have experienced this firsthand. Oftentimes, they have discovered this through cameras that they have put in their loved ones’ rooms in these facilities. But unfortunately, most families don’t have cameras in their loved ones’ rooms. And without watchful eyes of enough staff in these facilities, which is an ongoing problem, this often flies under the radar,” explained Stamatopouls.

The COVID-19 pandemic fueled staffing shortages and brought to light deplorable living conditions in some facilities. 

After endless calls for action-  the Ford government has hired more than a 150  new long-term care inspectors and is promising stricter penalties for operators who fail to protect residents from abuse or neglect.