1 day after child’s death reported, provincial agency asks family to return medical equipment
A Winnipeg grandmother says she got a phone call from a provincial employee asking for her grandson’s medical equipment to be returned just days after the 12-year-old died.
“I was totally flustered, not believing what they were asking,” said Theresa Jobse.
Jobse said a representative of the Materials Distribution Agency, which distributes medical items on behalf of the province, phoned on Aug. 9. The call came just one day after the family notified the province of the death of Caleb McKague, and four days after the 12-year-old died.
She said the employee had a list of medical items in the family’s possession, and asked that they be returned.
“My heart just about stopped,” she said. “I got really mad. I said, ‘how can you phone right now, at a time like this?'”
Jobse said the man on the phone said sorry, and told her he didn’t know the reason he’d been asked to get the equipment back.
“I’m not even sure what items he was listing because I stopped him right in the middle of the sentence,” she continued. “It took me a while to calm down.”
Jobse said she asked the agent to tell his manager to contact her, but didn’t hear back for another eight days.
She said she was contacted by a manager at the Disability and Health Supports Unit, which the province said works closely with the MDA to help people access equipment and health-related supplies.
That call came on Aug. 16, a day after the boy’s mother posted on social media, describing the initial conversation with the agent.
“They apologized to me, saying that shouldn’t have happened, and that they’re going to review their procedures and change things to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” said Jobse.
Touched everybody’s heart
Jobse said her grandson died unexpectedly on Aug. 5.
Caleb had cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and used a wheelchair and feeding tubes. But while his health conditions made him non-verbal, Jobse said he was still able to charm the people he met.
“He had such sparkly eyes,” she said. “And his laughter was so infectious.
“Cognitively, he understood everything you said, he just could not say words back,” she explained. “But he would say things through his eyes.”
Jobse said Caleb’s death came on the heels of two other difficult losses. Her mother died in June, and her husband died in 2022 after waiting alone in an emergency room due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
“It’s been a tough few years for our family,” she said.
She said Caleb was very close with his younger sister and two cousins, children of similar age who’d play together and go on outings with their grandparents.
Jobse said the boy’s parents and other relatives are taking the news hard, as are their neighbours.
“Everybody in Transcona knows him because he went everywhere with us,” said Jobse, adding that Caleb had served as an ambassador for the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities in 2017 and 2018.
“He touched everybody’s heart wherever he went.”
Improving communication
In a written statement, the province said it could not comment on specific cases, but said the Disability and Health Supports Unit “works carefully with the Materials Distribution Agency (MDA) to track its inventory, and when the DHSU is advised the equipment is no longer needed the DHSU advises MDA that the equipment should be returned.”
The statement confirmed that the unit “regularly reviews procedures, and will work towards improving the communication between agencies to ensure there is sensitivity around any contact with a grieving family.”
WATCH | Family shocked by call from agency:
A Manitoba family is shocked that they received a call from a provincial agency asking for the return of medical equipment just one day after they reported the death of a 12-year-old to the province.
Jobse said she hopes the people in charge live up to that promise.
“I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to another family, that they get a call before their child is even buried,” she said.
Jobse said they will contact the Materials Distribution Agency later this month about returning the inventory, after the family gets together for the boy’s celebration of life.
