Officials with Covenant Health, the company in charge of a Lethbridge care facility where staff claims a mouse was found biting the face of a patient, say the incident never happened.
The company released a statement on Tuesday after they concluded their investigation into the situation.
On Monday, the health watchdog group Friends of Medicare said that on September 1, a staff member at St. Therese Villa in Lethbridge came into one of the patients’ rooms and found mice nibbling on the face of a woman suffering from dementia.
Covenant Health’s internal investigation concluded that mice did not bite the face of the resident.
They do confirm that a mouse was found in the room, but there is no evidence, documentation or verbal confirmation that the rodent was ever near the resident.
Their statement continues, saying that the resident had been assessed and there is no evidence of wounds caused by animal bites.
Doctors say that the resident was suffering from a viral condition and is now being treated.
"The type of lesion that was on her face or the rash that was on her face appeared to be much more consistent with a viral rash which is not uncommion with elderly people, especially when they may be a little bit more immune suppressed. The distribution of the rash was much more consistent with that. There were a couple of lesions in the ear which would be impossible for a mouse to get at," said Dr. Jeff Robinson, Chief Medical Officer, Covenant Health.
As for environmental concerns, Covenant Health says they’ve cleaned the problem areas and they are now closely monitoring the situation.
Former staff members at the facility however, still have concerns about the conditions.
They’ve complained to management about mice and bed bugs in the past and now say that it’s about time that the government steps in to do something.
The government is still looking into operations at St. Therese Villa to find out what exactly happened and to investigate the current operating standards.
Friends of Medicare say they have very little confidence in Covenant Health and don't believe their findings.
They will put their trust in the government's investigation.
