OTTAWA -- A nurse accused of doping patients at a city nursing home admitted she sometimes doubled medications, court heard yesterday.
Eileen Peters, 59, is charged with multiple criminal offences related to double-dosing at least 10 patients at Longfields Manor in Barrhaven in 2007.
Yesterday, a senior nurse said Peters confessed when confronted after a family member of one of the residents complained.
"She said, 'I made a big boo boo,' " said Helene Deskes. "I said, 'Yes, you did.' She said, 'I want to go home. I don't belong here.' "
Deskes said Peters told her she had doubled up suppertime and bedtime medications on more than one occasion for several patients.
"She kept saying, 'I'm so sorry. I'm sorry,' " said Deskes. "I couldn't believe it."
Deskes said she felt Peters was giving double doses only to patients who weren't able to speak up.
"People who were not given their meds early were cognitively there -- they could talk, they could walk, they were independent," said Deskes. "People who were given their meds early were not congnitively there. They couldn't talk back."
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Another nurse testified other staff members had to administer meds to two patients on the ward where Peters worked. "We were told the families (of the two patients) were not comfortable with Eileen Peters giving them their medications," said Roxanne Delmage.
Peters also allegedly admitted during a meeting with administration she tried to cover up the fact she'd given at least one patient, 80-year-old Goldie Cole, a double dose of medication on July 10, 2007.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Gary Barnes asked all three witnesses if any of the patients showed any ill effects in the hours following the July 10 incident. Each of them agreed none were noted.
"There was nothing unusual with any of the people?" asked Barnes.
"Not that I recall," said Delmage.
Barnes pointed to a statement Deskes gave to senior staff in the days following the incident in which she suggested Peters had told her at least one patient went to bed at 7 p.m. -- a half-hour after the complaint was made by Cole on July 10 -- and that's why the elderly woman was given her bedtime medications early.
"You said she (Peters) said there was no sense waking them up at 9 p.m. to take their meds," said Barnes.
"Correct," said Deskes.
