
Winnipeg man who says home care failed his dying wife plans to speak at Manitoba Legislature
Global News
Eric de Schepper spoke out more than a week ago about the palliative home care he says failed his partner, Katherine Ellis, in her final days.
An empty bedroom now sits at the end of the hall where Eric de Schepper’s wife spent her final days.
“Being in this room here is, is actually quite comfortable. It feels like there is still some essence of Katherine here,” de Schepper said Monday.
Katherine Ellis died of pancreatic cancer Feb. 18, without having gotten the home care she was promised more than five weeks earlier.
The workers finally arrived days after she’d passed.
De Schepper isn’t alone in his heartbreak. Since going public, others have shared their experiences with him, he told Global News.
“After listening to quite a lot of those stories, I ended up standing right here in the living room, and I just started crying. My heart just started falling apart, realizing how much hardship these people are going through.”
De Schepper now feels compelled to address MLAs directly on their behalf.
The Manitoba minister responsible for seniors and long-term care, Scott Johnston, wasn’t available for an interview Monday. Instead, a spokesperson offered condolences in a statement.