Hospital meals “taste like vomit” to him, and he prefers to die at home

A Laval resident brought her father home for palliative care at the end of his life, and she was moved to find him served a “disgusting” meal in Laval’s Cité-de-la-Sante.

“He literally couldn’t eat. It was terrifying to see someone who was there [au départ] Such food should be better served,” explains Natasha Gagliano.

His father, Angelo Gagliano, had been hospitalized for more than a month until last Friday in Cité-de-la-Sante, Laval, with lung problems. He was recently told he had less than two months to live due to fluid leaking into his lungs.

Mr. If Gagliano was satisfied with the care he received, it was quite the opposite with the meals. A 70-year-old man, who is allergic to onions and has diabetes, says that these are the only four options on his menu.

• Listen to an interview with Karine Tessier, Assistant Director of Logistics and Nutritionist at CISSS de Laval on the Benoit Dutrizac Show QUB-Radio :

A great tragedy

“It’s repetitive, you see it and you feel like throwing up. “It’s the most disgusting thing to be served the same job over and over again,” Mr. Gagliano said through a tearful phone call. “I have worked for 60 years paying taxes to contribute to the health system,” he expressed.

Not only is the menu not extensive, but the plates themselves aren’t fancy, as evidenced by photos taken by his daughter, Natasha Gagliano.

A piece of ham and a ball of rice under small carrots, or white pasta served in a sauce resembling tomato juice; Here are some examples of meals that won’t make our readers jealous.

“We used to prepare and bring him our food, but a few weeks ago, a nurse told us we can’t do that anymore because of COVID,” his daughter also laments.

• Listen live to the Durocher-Dutrizak meeting every day at 12:45 p.m. by QUB-Radio :

“It breaks my heart”

Emotional to see her father living his last days under this treatment, she wanted to take him out of the hospital so he could receive palliative care at home.

“It breaks my heart to see people caught eating it,” said Hugo Paquette of the CISSS de Laval-CSN workers union. Everyone [à cet hôpital] Receives a meal that looks like this. It’s been at least five years since we asked to change the menus and make them more varied.

Called to respond, CISSS de Laval specifically pleaded that Mr. Gagliano follows a therapeutic diet that is “very restrictive” in terms of meal options.

The health minister’s office responded that the photos “do not represent the quality of meals we want for all patients in Quebec.”

“We will make necessary checks with CISSS to understand what happened in this case,” we added.