Florence Girard was so small when she died that she “regarded like a toddler” in her casket, based on her youthful sister.
“She deserved so significantly better,” stated Sharon Bursey, who introduced a big household photograph of Girard to the stand along with her on day one of many coroner’s inquest into her sister’s dying.
“She was cherished. No one deserves that torture,” stated Bursey.
Girard, who was born with Down syndrome, was 54 years previous when starved to dying in October 2018 whereas dwelling within the residence of care supplier Astrid Dahl.
Bursey advised the coroner’s courtroom Girard was saved in a bed room blocked off with a child gate positioned on the highest stage of a townhome. The room had a mattress on the ground and the film Titanic enjoying on repeat.
“It is like she was thrown within the gap at a jail or focus camp,” Bursey stated. “She could not telephone me as a result of she could not get out of her room due to the infant gate.”
Bursay stated Dahl both did not reply when she referred to as her or ignored her requests to get her sister to telephone her again. She stated the one time Dahl picked up her calls was when she used another person’s telephone.
Dahl was convicted of failing to offer Girard the necessaries of life. Her preliminary 12-month conditional sentence was elevated to fifteen months in jail by the B.C. Court docket of Enchantment in 2023.
Dahl labored for Kinsight Group Society. Kinsight is an accredited company contracted by Group Residing B.C. (CLBC), the provincial Crown company that funds companies to adults with developmental disabilities below the Ministry of Social Growth and Poverty Discount.
Bursay stated her sister was dwelling in a Port Moody group residence the place Dahl labored as a caretaker till about 2010, when the house was closed.
She stated her household needed Girard to come back reside with them, but it surely was inconceivable to offer the full-time assist she wanted with out monetary help from Group Residing B.C.
“I might have give up my job to have her dwelling with me if I might afford it,” stated Bursay. “They would not give me any assist although I had the right residence for her.”
As an alternative, Bursay and Dahl got here to a home-share settlement that noticed Girard transfer in with Dahl. Dwelling share has been described as grownup foster take care of folks with developmental disabilities.
Bursay described Girard as humorous, social and unbiased, a Particular Olympics swimming competitor who used to take the bus alone from Port Coquitlam to New Westminster, the place she had a job shredding authorities paperwork.
Bursay stated Girard cherished to eat and was fairly obese most of her life. The final time she noticed her, about six months earlier than her dying, she stated Girard’s weight reduction was noticeable however not alarming.
“She was skinny … in all probability 80 kilos. However she was solely 4 foot 11,” stated Bursay.
Dalh is scheduled to testify Tuesday via Wednesday.
The courtroom heard that the final time Girard had seen her household physician was in March of 2014.
Bursay stated CLBC ought to take a “household first” method and make funding obtainable for households who wish to act as main caregivers. Within the various, she stated there ought to be quarterly conferences between CLBC, the appointed caregiver and the household to make sure care plans are updated.
“There’s loads of protocols that do not get adopted,” she stated.
Coroner’s inquests are formal courtroom proceedings that publicly evaluation the circumstances of a dying to handle group issues or elevate consciousness of preventable deaths, based on the B.C. Coroners Service web site.
Jury members don’t search to seek out fault however can problem suggestions to stop related deaths sooner or later.
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