Saul Gillis is going to the Supreme Court of P.E.I. to fight to get his mother out of a mental health unit and back in his care.
He is contesting a ministerial order that saw his mother, who The Guardian has chosen not to name, taken from his care and placed into Unit 9 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown about three months ago.
Gillis says he has received legal advice stating the province is not properly proceeding under the Adult Protection Act.
He has been caring for his mother, who is a former health-care aide, since she became ill about five years ago. He and his brother were looking after mom at home in Brampton, Ont.
"I felt pretty comfortable,'' he said. "I had been doing it for so many years. It was like second nature to me.
However, his 67-year-old mother was involuntarily admitted to a mental health unit in an Ontario hospital after she allegedly struck another woman in church last year. She spent three months in the unit before being released on Dec. 6.
Shortly after her release, Gillis brought his mother to her birthplace of P.E.I. to be with her two brothers and her three sisters.
He planned to continue to care for mom on the Island. He left her in the mental health unit at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside while he returned to Ontario to sell his house and take care of legal matters.
He removed his mother from the PCH in March. He spent two weeks with her in a motel in Cornwall before a social worker came to visit and determined she was not safe under her son's care in the motel.
A ministerial order led Gillis' mother to be taken to the QEH, where she has been an involuntary patient of the mental health ward for the past three months.
Doctors have assessed her as having severe dementia that has eliminated her ability to communicate. She cannot protect herself from abuse and requires 24-hour supervision, according to a certificate of incapacity to manage personal affairs signed by an Island physician. Several doctors reinforce the assessment.
Gillis doubts his mother's dementia is as severe as doctors suggest. He also feels he can care for her in her current state.
"I just feel I want to take care of her while I can,'' he said.
He fears the province will "lock her up in Hillsborough (Hospital) like a vegetable.''
A judge set Sept. 20 as the start date for the Supreme Court to address Gillis's challenge of the ministerial order that sees his mother living in a mental health ward.
"I'm contesting what they've done,'' he said of the Health and Wellness Department. "I want the judge to hear my side of the story.''
Gillis, though, does not hold out much hope for his success in court.
"They are going to go with whatever the doctors say,'' he said. "I just want the public to know that this is what people can go through.''
Man going to court in fight to have mother back in his care
Man going to court in fight to have mother back in his care
- Published on June 4th, 2010
- Published on June 15th, 2010
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Jim Day
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Comments
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- John
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:36:33
Mr. Gillis has given his layman's opinion of his mother's mental state, while a number of doctors have given their professional diagnosis and prognosis of her condition, which easily nullifies any legal challenge. The order is not a personal attack on Mr. Gillis - the purpose is to protect his mother. The court should and will dismiss this frivolous motion.
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- F
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:36:21
And then theres the malinger types who try to stay in hospital tying up beds . And whine to everyone to get what they want because they are persistent and wearisome. We all know those few who do that religiously.
If this man can look after her all the more power to him . -
- Jerry
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:19:13
Hey I know how he must feel. I brought my father here from NS Dec. 2008 where he would be closer to his entire family since he was in the earlier stages of dementia. The sad thing was, after he was here waiting to get into a nursing home, he fell and broke his hip. I took him to the QEH via amblance @ 6:00am one morning ONLY TO THINK I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING. Well it turned out for the worst, after he had the surgry I get word that their is an Amblance on the way to transfer him back to NS where he lives. My 82yr old mother.sister and myself were there as the amblance was getting him ready to go stating that he lives here on PEI and that this a major mistake. They more less called us a lier and off he went.
Well after traveling back and fourth for a few months to visit him. They finally realized and released him to me to bring back to PEI directly to the QEH where he was amitted. I will tell you that if his pain wasn't so bad, I would of never got him into the QEH again. All he kept saying was they will send me back to NS by myelf again. I talked to some higher up that disagreed with this happening and they said they would stand in front of the amblance them self if this happens again.
Once we did get into see a doctor @ QEH he was admitted and then their just happened to to be a bed ready at a local nursing home where he resides as of now. Throughout all this their were lots of lies,health card information destroyed, etc. As of now were just waiting for the QEH to set up a meeting to get to the bottom of this so it won't happen again to someone elese. By the way one of the worst things to do to a person with DEMEMTIA IS TO MOVE THEM TO NEW SUROUNDINGS.
Also THKS TO thoes who helped with my fathers situation. NS and PEI.... -
- concerned
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:16:52
Maybe there is a reason why they want to keep her. There may be more to the story than what we see here. Be careful before picking sides! We don't know all the facts.
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- Sophie
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:08:09
Good for you Mr. Gillis for being such a caring son. I wish you all the best and hope you can get your mother back with you, where she belongs.
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- What! What! What
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:51:48
I think this lady is where she probably is getting the best care. When she was placed in the PCH while, the son went to Ontario to sell his home, were her 5 siblings on PEI not able to pitch in and help with her care. Sounds like they didn't want to take on this extra responsibility for whatever reason, or knew their sister was probably better of at the PCH.
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- Anonymous
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:42:08
I am rarely amazed at how people will ignore the sparse facts included in a Guardian article and appoint themselves as high-judge and jury. Does anyone really think the Government wants to keep people locked up in overloaded hospitals when there is a family member making this much noise to have them released? They release criminals after serving a fraction of their sentences on weekends, yet keep this person in hospital. Doesn't anyone ask themselves why?
If you think it's an easy thing to be locked up under a Ministerial order, try it yourself. Go to your local hospital with a family member, ask them to lock you up and keep you indefinitely for some vague reason. Then plug your ears as they scream with laughter. Really, if you buy these stories so easily I have a bridge to sell you. -
- Nora
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:39:03
The point is, he WANTS to look after his mother. He changed his whole life style to do this and is now being told he can't. Unbelievable! And a terrible shame... Good luck to you Mr. Gillis. I wish you all the best.
