There are many protections ostensibly available to older adults in congregate settings in Ontario. At first blush, it appears as if older adults have many rights, and a large array of mechanisms available to them to enforce these rights. Upon further examination, it becomes evident that while these rights look good on paper, they are not truly effective. The next section will analyze the legal protections currently available to older adults residing in congregate settings to systematically show how many of these rights are hollow.
Civil Litigation
One route for residents to pursue if they feel wronged is civil lawsuits. For example, if a staff member at a long-term care home injures a resident, a negligence claim can be initiated. If a resident felt that a retirement home unilaterally changed the care originally agreed to in the terms of their agreement for services, they can sue for breach of contract for care services.
However the civil justice system contains several inherent problems that are particularly detrimental to older adults residing in congregate settings. The following passage, although dealing with American nursing home lawsuits, succinctly summarizes some of the barriers facing older adults residing in congregate settings:
Nursing home claimants have few desirable litigant characteristics because of their pre-existing illnesses, nonexistent imputed earnings, and low overall economic damages. Many nursing home victims have chronic physical or mental diseases that render them incapable of seeking legal representation so many meritorious cases are never filed…The reality is that elderly nursing home residents are too infirm and have such a low life expectancy that they simply cannot wait years for a settlement or jury verdict.[35]
Turning back to Ontario, one of the most significant impediments to access to justice for older persons is money. The private bar model of law is prohibitively expensive for the majority of Ontarians. A newspaper article, which was quoted by the Honourable Warren Winkler, Chief Justice of Ontario, reported that the cost of taking a routine civil case through to a three-day trial in Ontario is about $60,000.00.[36]
Legal Aid Ontario does provide a limited number of services to older adults if they satisfy the financial requirements, but the income level required is so low that only the poorest members of society are eligible. While some older adults do qualify financially, they may own a home. Legal Aid Ontario will usually require individuals to put a lien against their house in order to receive legal assistance. Many older adults are hesitant to enter into such agreements as they are worried that they could potentially lose their home.[37] Further, many older persons are precluded from receiving legal assistance for issues affecting security of the person because Legal Aid Ontario does not provide certificates to the private bar for most civil claims, including elder abuse, violation of consent and claims against long-term care homes.
Second, even if a resident is able to afford a lawyer, there is an insufficient number of lawyers with the appropriate knowledge and experience to provide competent representation. At present, only a small proportion of the bar directly advises or represents the older adults themselves. While ACE and community legal aid clinics provide such services, we are inundated with work and have limited resources to assist everyone who contacts us. Few lawyers have experience with the types of legal problems that have a specific impact on the older population, such as issues in retirement homes, long-term care, defence of guardianship applications, health care consent and elder abuse.
Even when lawyers do agree to represent persons with an elder law issue, they often fail to understand their duty to the older person. ACE has received complaints where lawyers have breached the Rules of Professional Conduct.[38] In some cases, lawyers have failed to consult with the older person who is their client; instead obtaining instructions from the older adult’s friend or family member. Besides being contrary to the Rules, they may also be putting themselves in a potential, if not actual, conflict of interest position.[39] Other lawyers who are not familiar with particular elder law issues have provided incompetent representation to the older person by not understanding the applicable law.[40]
A third reason why older adults do not have access to the justice system is the lengthy amount of time it takes to resolve a court case. This is especially troublesome for long-term care residents who are often in declining health. According to Justice Winkler, “civil litigation in this province is too expensive and too slow, with the result that many people in Ontario may be denied access to justice.”[41] Many older adults choose not to initiate legal proceedings, even if their case appears to be meritorious, because it may take many years and there is the possibility that they may die before a resolution is reached. In fact, this is a strategy used by defendants: stall the process because the plaintiff may die before any resolution, usually resulting in the nullification of the claim.
Fourth, older adults are reluctant to pursue a civil case because there is a lack of an established body of law respecting lawsuits against retirement and long-term care homes. Based on our own research, ACE could find very few reported cases involving actions against long-term care homes or retirement homes by residents.
Fifth, an extra disincentive for older persons in seeking access to justice is the lack of monetary awards in successful cases. ACE generally does not recommend that older adults commence lawsuits where they are primarily seeking financial compensation because very few types of damages options are available and the amounts awarded are small.
Actions for wrongful death are not permitted in Ontario. If an older adult were to die, dependents of the older adult could only bring a derivative action for the loss of care and companionship pursuant to the Family Law Act.[42]
Older persons usually cannot claim damages for loss of income because they are no longer working. As well, the courts have narrowly interpreted damages for loss of companionship. In a British Columbia case where a 77-year old woman died due to the negligence of an aide in a nursing home, the court refused to award any damages to the woman’s children because “their mother had long ceased to be a companion for she had been physically, mentally and emotionally incapacitated for a considerable time before her death.”[43] This judgment is alarming as it infers that a person can harm an older person with impunity and not be held accountable by the civil justice system.
Criminal Penalties
Alleged perpetrators of crimes against older adults can be charged with a myriad of offences under the Criminal Code of Canada. There are several provisions applicable in cases of possible abuse of older adults, including: theft; theft by a person holding a power of attorney; criminal breach of trust; extortion; forgery; fraud; failure to provide the necessities of life; criminal negligence causing bodily harm; assault; sexual assault; forcible confinement; criminal harassment; uttering threats; intimidation; and harassing phone calls.
There are challenges in using the criminal justice system to seek redress for crimes that take place in congr