KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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AUGUST 27, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 103
TODAY’S WEATHER
Sun, cloud and smoke High 31 C, Low 15 C
TWOHORSE RACE?
20-YEAR-OLDS R-OLD DS NG FO OR FIGHTING FOR TS ROSTER SPOT SPOTS
Sundhu says it’s him and McLeod
Overage surplus for Blazers heading into training camp
A3
A19
‘She didn’t have to die that way’ Fast Eddy Family members of woman who died in apartment fire blame IHA’s broken system ADAM WILLIAMS STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com
M
atilda Olineck, the woman who died after a late-night fire at Glenfair Seniors Complex on Monday night, was failed by a system that didn’t listen to family concerns, her daughter says — a system the Interior Health Authority said listens to families but, more importantly, clients. “We definitely provide a level of care and support that allows people to remain in their homes as long as possible,” said Cathy Thibault, IHA administrator of community integrated health in Kamloops. “As long as individuals are capable, they have the right to make their own choices about where they choose to live, even if that means accepting certain risks.” Olineck, 72, is believed to have fallen asleep with a lit cigarette, igniting a blaze Kamloops Fire and Rescue said caused burns to 60 per cent of her body, including her back, arms and head. Neighbours pulled Olineck from her suite and extinguished the fire with a garden hose shortly after it started, but she died hours later at Royal Inland Hospital. Matilda’s daughter Jeanne doesn’t believe her mother should have been allowed to stay at Glenfair. “My mom had a lot of health issues,” Jeanne told KTW. “But, to die burned alive, that’s a horrific,
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horrific thing to happen. She didn’t have to die that way.” The IHA, meanwhile, said it is unable to speak to the specifics of Matilda’s case or how the system handled it. “I can’t comment on whether the system failed her, but I can comment that this is not an outcome that we take lightly,” Thibault said. “What failed, I’m not quite sure, but we want to learn from this and if there is any reports or reviews, we will be looking at anything we can.” Two weeks ago, Matilda underwent assessment to see if she was capable of living on her own — she was deemed competent, as she had been many times before. That, Jeanne said, was in spite of the fact Matilda sometimes thought it was 1973 and couldn’t remember what she had for breakfast or if she had taken her medication. She was incapable of managing her own personal care, her daughter said. “We kept saying, ‘She’s not fit to live on her own, she can’t do this anymore,’” Jeanne said. Most of Matilda’s clothes had burns in them, Jeanne said, and, when her family tried to substitute tobacco for an e-cigarette, Matilda attempted to light it with a lighter, too. Jeanne said her mother’s health had been in decline for some time, but the situation became notably worse over the last year. A major stroke about seven years ago and a series of mini-strokes since led to problems with her memory and ability to reason. See FAMILY, page A11
runs low on cash
Cross-Canada trek in jeopardy ADAM WILLIAMS
STAFF REPORTER
adam@kamloopsthisweek.com
DAVE EAGLES/KTW
Jackie Olineck, whose mother died in an apartment fire on Monday, poses with family photos. Olineck’s daughters are upset with Interior Health Authority over the care of their mother.
As Edward (Fast Eddy) Dostaler ran through Quebec City, across the St. Lawrence River and within 250 kilometres of New Brunswick, the finances of the back half of his “There and Back” cross-Canada journey were increasingly dire. The fact is, Dostaler is no longer 100 per cent certain he’ll be running back to B.C.’s Pacific coast. “I would say 90 [per cent],” Dostaler told KTW from just outside Quebec City. “As far as I know — and what I would like to do — is still run there and back and I see it happening no matter what, because I gave people my word and that’s important to me, keeping your word.” Committed or not, Dostaler said he is running out of money. See ‘I’M GOING,’ page A12
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