A Manitoba man in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease has been released from the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
A judge ordered Friday that Joe McLeod, 69, be put in the care of his daughter. McLeod will eventually be placed in a long-term care home approved by the family, which is working with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
But the assault charge against McLeod still stands and he is to return to court Nov. 2.
McLeod had been in the medical unit at the Winnipeg Remand Centre since he was arrested Sept. 2, after becoming confused and lashing out at his wife, Rose, in their home. He was charged with assault after he struck Rose, causing a cut that required stitches.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard made McLeod's case public this week to ask how a man with Alzheimer's could be kept in jail for more than a month.
The family was told Wednesday that McLeod would have a medical assessment next week and it would take until Oct. 25 to find a long-term care space for him.
But the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said Thursday afternoon that McLeod's condition would be assessed right away. The health authority said that an emergency placement bed would be made available to him, once his care needs were assessed and his legal issues were resolved.
The health authority also said it would work with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Winnipeg police and the provincial Justice Department to "establish better protocols for dealing with such situations."
The WRHA's chief operating officer Real Cloutier has said that McLeod's case was unusual because McLeod had not been enrolled in a provincial home care program, as most Alzheimer's patients living at home usually are.
He said Alzheimer's patients getting home care are often admitted to a long-term care home when family members can no longer take care of them, and that it was "unfortunate that home care wasn't in the mix in the first place to be able to do (a) progressive assessment."
The WRHA said Friday it would work with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Winnipeg police and the provincial Justice Department to "establish better protocols for dealing with such situations."
