Protest planned at Kamloops Seniors Village

Apr 19, 2016 | 11:51 AM

KAMLOOPS — A woman who lost her mother after she was attacked by a fellow resident of Kamloops Seniors Village last summer plans to protest against inadequate staffing at the facility.

Nancy Bradley’s 84 year old mother Emily Houston died in July.

Houston was attacked by another woman at the facility, though surveillance cameras didn’t capture the incident.

Bradley says a meeting with the facility’s owner, Retirement Concepts, ironed out a few of her concerns, but not all of them.

“They’ve implemented a few changes, like updating their video surveillance, and more staff training,” said Bradley. “But they keep insisting that staffing levels are up to standards, and they’re not. The report that came out from the Seniors Advocate shows that they are second from the bottom.”

Bradley says she has organized a demonstration outside of KSV next Monday, April 25,  beginning at 1:00 pm.

She notes she started a Facebook group to discuss the issue several months ago, and was surprised with how many people have had similar experiences at BC seniors’ residences.

“I wasn’t sure how many people were out there. I just kind of felt like this was an isolated incident. Since then, we’ve found out it’s quite the opposite,” said Bradley.

“This goes on way too much and we need some changes.”