Frances Girard
Florence Girard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 |
| Died | 2018 |
| Employer | |
| Organization | |
| Agent | |
| Known for | Starved to death while in long-term care |
| Notable credit | |
| Label | |
| Opponent | |
| Criminal charge | |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | |
| ParentExpression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". | |
Florence Girard was a Canadian 54 year-old woman, whose 2018 death in long-term care, triggered controversy.[1][2]
Girard was an ordinary woman, born with Down's Syndrome, whose death was extraordinary.[2] A coroner's jury determined that, due to poor care, she had starved to death while staying the home of a care-giver paid under the auspices of the government of British Columbia's Crown corporation Community Living B.C. (CLBC).[2] A coroner's jury ruled her death a homicide, in January 2025.
Girard had once been a competitor in the Special Olympics.[3]
She had lived in group homes, for years, prior to being placed in a care-giver's private home.[3]
Girard's weight had dropped to 50 pounds (23 kg) over the three months that preceded her death.[1] She had lived in the home of Astrid Dahl for eight years.[4] At the coroner's inquest into her death she testified that she had started serving Girard the meal supplement Ensure, when Girard started refusing solid food.[4]
The government of BC did not directly supervise care-givers, like Dahl.[1] A not-for-profit organization called Kinsight Community Services was to play that role. Dahl testified Kinsight had not provided guidance.
Tiffany Wickham, an area manager for CLBC, testified she was aware many care-givers felt underpaid.[5] Dahl received just under $3,000 per month to provide around the clock care for Girard, although just over $700 of that was intended for room and board. Care-givers like Dahl did not receive time off for vacation, or other benefits.
Cary Chiu, the independent official who played an ombudsman like role for those in care, told the coroner's jury many care-givers, like Dahl, felt over-worked, and in a constant "crisis-mode".[1]
The Jury was told that it CLBC does not directly monitor the care-givers, rather, they would monitor the agencies like Kinsight, who hired and oversaw care-givers like Dahl.[5] The Jury was told "we monitor the monitors". The Jury was told that a CLBC official paid a visit to Dahl's home, two months prior to Girard's death, to assess whether the home had room to care for an additional individual with developmental problems, but that official did not look in on Girard.
Dahl had been convicted, in 2023, of failing to provide the necessaries of life over Girard's death.[1][4] CTV News noted that, Dahl received a 15 month sentence, but did not serve any time in prison.[5]
The coroner's Jury made 13 recommendations on January 24, 2025.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
Ashley Joannou (2025-01-23). "B.C. inquest into starvation death told of home-share providers' burnout". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
Girard weighed about 50 pounds when she died in 2018 in the Port Coquitlam home of Astrid Dahl, a caregiver funded through the provincial Crown corporation Community Living B.C. (CLBC).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
"Inquest into B.C. woman's starvation death recommends better pay for caregivers" (video). CBC News via YouTube. 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
A coroner's jury issued a series of recommendations Friday following an inquest into the starvation death of B.C. woman Florence Girard, who died while under the care of a home-share program. Among their suggestions, the jurors said caregivers need to be paid more for what they do.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Andrew MacLeod (2025-01-14). "How Could Florence Girard Starve to Death in a CLBC Home Share?". The Tyee. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
She lived in group homes for many years before moving in 2010 into the Port Coquitlam home of Astrid Dahl, a home share funded by CLBC and provided through the local agency Simon Fraser Community Living, which has since changed its name to Kinsight Community Society.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2
Amy Judd; Angela Jung (2025-01-15). "B.C. woman dropped 50 pounds in 3 months before dying of starvation, inquest hears". Global News. Archived from the original on 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
Girard had lived with Dahl for about eight years as a part of a residential home-sharing agreement, overseen by the non-profit Kinsight Community Society, which is a non-profit contracted by Community Living BC.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ben Miljure (2025-01-22). "CLBC staff testify on underfunding for caregivers for vulnerable disabled people". CTV News. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- ↑ Simon Little (2025-01-24). "Inquest rules B.C. woman's starvation death a homicide, calls for oversight, funding". Global News. Retrieved 2025-01-25.