Advocates ‘frustrated,’ claim systemic neglect after man spirals and lights himself on fire

From there, Roger worked his way back up to a steady life. He lived in a Nanaimo duplex for three years where he was helped by Griffith, his landlord and an older tenant named Lee who helped him take medication on time and stay on a good path.

Roger didn’t appear in a court house for roughly three years once his life was on track again.

Unfortunately everything changed when Lee passed away in late fall 2018.

“He was obviously tortured”

Roger quickly spiralled without someone to look after him on a daily basis. Over only a few short months, incidents included him completely repainting a room or soiling himself. He did spend a few hours at the Nanaimo Hospital before being discharged, but the hospital visit didn’t stop him from deteriorating further.

His landlord told NanaimoNewsNOW Roger was despondent and increasingly withdrawn in the days leading up to his self-immolation. She nearly broke into tears when describing how withered and frail her once successful friend looked.

“No one was helping this man and he was obviously tortured,” the landlord said. “He was in no shape to take care of himself and nobody (at the duplex) was qualified to be looking after him.”

Then, in a fit of agitation, Roger set fire to himself at the end of 2018. The fire consumed his legs and arms. A tenant at the duplex and landscapers working at the property managed to put him out with cold water and by smothering the flames, but significant damage was done.

He was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria and given medication to help with his illness.

“Let’s err on the side of caution”

Griffith said his friend would have never been so lost and adrift if the mental health support system in B.C. had done what was required.

“There’s a man in obvious need of help. He’s got a history which suggests he needs to be looked after to get back on track and he just gets shuffled. They look at him for two hours and release him. How do you make a judgment in two hours on a mental health thing? Let’s err on the side of caution.”

Three nurses are on hand 24/7 for Psychiatric Emergency Service at the Nanaimo Hospital. Island Health said it’s an increase from two nurses which started on Jan. 1, 2019. There’s one nurse for every five patients during the day at the 24-bed psychiatric unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and one for every eight after 11 p.m.

A social worker is shared between the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and the Psychiatric Emergency Service.

Island Health said none of the units have suffered a staffing reduction.

When trying to call attention to Roger’s diminishing abilities and capacity for reason, Griffith said he contacted community outreach workers numerous times, with no results.

He specifically pointed his finger not at the workers, who he said deal with overwhelming and stressful conditions, but at management and the provincial government.

“The morale is obviously low. I don’t blame staff for morale, I blame management for morale. To see people continually slip through the system tells me there’s something wrong.”

Both the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions were asked for comment for this story. None was received by publishing time, four days after the requests were submitted.

“We have to look after those who can’t look after themselves”

In his years as a shelter coordinator in Nanaimo and as an unofficial social worker, primarily working off the side of his desk to help clients, Griffith said he’s seen too many people slip through the cracks.

He said it shouldn’t take people like Lee, the older woman who lived in the same duplex as Roger, to look after those in need.

“I’m sure there’s countless stories out in the community of citizens and human beings who’ve tried to help people with mental health issues. And I’m sure they run into the same problems. It’s a really frustrating problem.”

NanaimoNewsNOW spoke with Roger on Monday, Feb. 4 to talk casually versus an on-the-record interview. Despite the trauma endured by his body, he seemed in good spirits. However, his memory was poor and he had trouble focusing on specific topics of conversation.

Despite the burns, he was up and walking around, even stepping outside into the cold winter air for a cigarette.

Only a few weeks after lighting himself on fire, Roger has been moved to the discharge unit and is expected to be released shortly.

It’s unknown where he will go. His landlord said she can’t have him back due to the danger posed by another episode and he doesn’t have the funds for housing. He can go to the extreme cold weather shelter, but it’s only open at night.

Watching Roger head back to his hospital bed, Griffith expressed serious concerns about where his friend will end up next and if there’s another episode looming on the horizon.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit

by Spencer Sterritt

Advocates ‘frustrated,’ claim systemic neglect after man spirals and lights himself on fire

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