Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An Ingersoll woman is raising a red flag over damning allegations of wrongdoing at the Norwich location of Trillium Care Communities, a 25-bed retirement home.
The Oxford detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police has confirmed they are investigating a reported fraud. On Aug. 21, police were notified and the initial investigation determined there were multiple victims with an estimated loss of over $50,000. Police say the investigation is ongoing and they have a suspect.
The Echo was contacted by Miranda Guitard who is married to the grandson of a resident at the home. She said the suspect police are looking at is the former director of care, Julie Vitias, a Tillsonburg resident. The home released a letter explaining she is no longer employed there.
“Effective August 20, 2024, Julie Vitias is no longer with Trillium Norwich. We are pleased to announce Davyd Yushkin has been appointed as the new manager…We understand your questions and concerns. Davyd is available to address any matters related to your loved one’s care.”
The Echo emailed and called Yushkin but did not hear back before press time but was able to hear from Anna Nikitenko who said she was the general manager for Trillium Care Communities.
“The lady is not working since Sept. 2.”
The letter provided to family and residents said Vitias was released from her duties on Aug. 20. Nikitenko reiterated Vitias was let go on Sept. 2, a date a week away.
The Echo asked what details can be shared about the investigation into the alleged financial abuse at the home, and if the Retirement Home Regulatory Authority (RHRA) was contacted. The RHRA is the governing body for retirement homes in Ontario.
“Of course.”
Yushkin was also asked who owns the company and what other locations they have.
“No, I can not tell you. I will be able to speak with you after the investigation. I will be happy to share the information but I can’t do it right now.”
The company’s Facebook page shows at least one other property in Toronto or Bloor Street. Its website is currently offline, something Yushkin attributed to technical issues.
Giutard alleged Vitias has stolen over $5,000 in money that was supposed to go towards paying the monthly fee but said others have been taken for far more. Rent payments were made via e-transfer but the payment was sent to an address not from the company.
“I was very specific on every e-transfer I made. I would put a note for all the dollars I spent. The email she gave me was a Gmail and I got a security question. She would fill in the answer and accept the money.”
She added when you look up the email address of any employee it was a name followed by @trilliumcarecommunities.ca.
“She created a Gmail account for the money to be sent to which obviously would have been connected to her own personal bank account. I never got any receipts. When I look back at it, holy s@#t on me.”
Residents of a long-term care or retirement home are required to get income tax receipts at the end of the year for income tax purposes but are also given a monthly receipt following payment. Guitard said she has no idea if Pat is even on the home’s roster.
“I asked Julie a number of times for the lease agreement but it was like pulling teeth to get it. Excuse after excuse. I finally got it on Aug. 20. Pat was admitted in June. She sent it to me the day she was fired and it was an incomplete lease agreement so I texted Julie and said I would be there in 20 minutes to pick up the rest of it.”
She explained that was the time when Vitias explained she had resigned from her position at the home. She added Pat was admitted to the home in mid-June and it didn’t take long for Vitias to reach out after the new resident exhibited behaviours.
“My husband and I were on our way to Michigan to go camping and my phone was ringing off the hook. She called me to say Pat was having extreme behaviours and I didn’t tell her she had a behavioural support worker. She felt like I duped her into taking her into the home.”
Guitard said Vitias did her own due diligence when she assessed Pat at the Ingersoll Hospital and while she doesn’t know if her medical issues were disclosed, she accused Vitias of bending the truth.
“It was lie after lie after lie and I called her out on it and I didn’t trust her. Since Pat moved in, they have sent her to the Woodstock Hospital about a dozen times. We are going through med changes but she wants to leave but she can’t so she hits her cane on the door.”
Giutard is helping her husband with his grandmother’s care after it became unsafe for her to be alone.
“Pat is 90 years old and was living on her own. She was at the hospital in Ingersoll for a month and I was advised to tour the facility in Norwich. I went and it is a nice setting. It didn’t feel institutional and was a large Victorian-style home,” she said.
Guitard, a mental health and addictions worker, explained Pat makes suicidal statements, but when a 90-year-old woman said she wanted to kill herself it was a concern. She explained the home’s staff should be better trained in dealing with behaviours, including how to help a senior when they are exit-seeking, which she said thankfully the home is prepared to do. She added the police investigation into potential fraud is a step in the right direction.
“I feel a sense of relief knowing that the situation is being taken seriously and that justice may be pursued. It’s reassuring to have authorities involved, which can bring some comfort and hope for accountability and resolution. No senior in a care facility like Trillium should ever have to worry about becoming victim to something like this,” added Guitard.
The Echo reached out to the RHRA and was provided a statement from Raymond Chan, the organization’s manager of public affairs.
“The RHRA acts swiftly to investigate when alerted of an alleged offence committed by a staff member or owner of a licensed retirement home. An investigation consists of interviews, collecting evidence, reviewing documents and determining whether an offence has been committed.”
He added there are a number of penalties a home could face following an investigation including a compliance order, a monetary administrative penalty, a management order and even an order revoking a license to operate.
A summary of any such action will be published to the retirement home’s profile on the RHRA’s public database. If the RHRA determines there is probable grounds that an offence had been committed under section 98 of the Retirement Homes Act, the RHRA may file charges through the Ontario Court of Justice.
The Oxford OPP Major Crime Unit is assisting with the investigation and is asking that anyone who knows something about these frauds to contact the Oxford OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or *677 via cell phone.