Saskatoon police misrepresented senior’s death, care home owner says

The owner of a care home in Saskatoon’s Fairhaven neighbourhood says he doesn’t understand why city police issued a news release about the death of a 96-year-old resident of the facility.

Article content

Article content

Tony Damircheli said he started the Northern Lights care home 18 years ago in memory of his late wife, who was a nurse at the Sherbrooke Community Centre.

In a news release on Wednesday, city police said officers went to the 200 block of Lochrie Crescent around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday in response to a report that a man had been found dead outside. The release said police were investigating and that foul play wasn’t considered a factor.

Article content

Damircheli said the man was a resident of the care home and had fallen in its back yard. He said three staff members went to check on the man and brought him inside, where they called paramedics and attempted CPR.

Once paramedics arrived, it was found that the man’s file included a ‘do not resuscitate’ order, he said.

Damircheli said he is worried that the news release created misconceptions about the home and that this wasn’t a situation where someone was found unattended outside in the cold.

He said the man had wanted to take a walk outside, but was cautioned by staff about the cold weather.

Damircheli said he has contacted police to voice his concerns.

A Saskatoon police spokesman in an emailed response to the StarPhoenix said the case remains under investigation, and police could not offer additional information.

A police spokeswoman in a separate email said police in recent years “began notifying the public of sudden deaths that occur outdoors, especially in public locations.”

Damircheli said the people he cares for become like family.

“You see them every day, you care for them, you know their needs, what they like, what they don’t like,” he said, adding that losing one of them is like losing a family member.

Article content

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content