СÀ¶ÊÓƵ

Skip to content

Inquest told interactions with caretaker in СÀ¶ÊÓƵ woman's death challenging at times

BURNABY, СÀ¶ÊÓƵ — A former co-ordinator at the homecare organization overseeing Florence Girard's care says interactions with the woman's caretaker grew more challenging before Girard's starvation death in 2018.
145e9096673ab980cdc8fe200dac43b073075409db1dbd1a915005d45f107bf5
Florence Girard, seen in a family handout photo from 2006, died of starvation in a Port Coquitlam, СÀ¶ÊÓƵ, home in 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

BURNABY, СÀ¶ÊÓƵ — A former co-ordinator at the homecare organization overseeing Florence Girard's care says interactions with the woman's caretaker grew more challenging before Girard's starvation death in 2018.

Krista Maniezzo, who was the Kinsight Community Society shared-living co-ordinator, told a coroner's inquest into Girard's death that while there was "nothing outrageous," caretaker Astrid Dahl was also increasingly resistant to new care requirements introduced a few years before the woman died.

Maniezzo told the inquest that about a year before Girard's death, Dahl had trouble keeping appointments with Kinsight, which was under contract from the provincial Crown corporation Community Living СÀ¶ÊÓƵ.

Girard, who had Down syndrome, weighed about 50 pounds when she died while living with Dahl.

Dahl was convicted in 2022 of failing to provide the necessaries of life for Girard.

She told the inquest earlier this week that Kinsight didn't provide adequate support for home-sharing care providers, including not paying for prescribed pain medication for Girard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks