My mother was a resident of the Jubilee Lodge from February 1990 until her death in August 2011. Visiting our mother two to three times per week for so many years gave our family a unique insight into the goings-on of the Jubilee staff and residents.
We observed that some of the staff handled the large and challenging workload better than others, however, we never saw anyone being physically or verbally abusive. In fact what we did observe on a number of occasions was Jubilee staff members being struck by combative residents with brain injuries or dementia.
It is not realistic to expect a large organization with numerous staff members not to have occasional problems. Over the course of our mother's 21 year stay three issues arose - two involving staff and one involving a fellow resident. When brought to the attention of the Jubilee's administration our concerns were taken seriously and resolved quickly.
My main reason for writing is that for many years the staff and volunteers of the Jubilee Lodge went out of their way to make our mother's life the best it could be under difficult circumstances. While my heart goes out to the Courtoreille family (I know how distressed I would have felt to see my mother in a similar condition) I would hate to see all the hard work that the Jubilee's dedicated and caring staff carry out day after day, be overshadowed by this unfortunate incident.
Sherry Campbell
Prince George
