CBC Maritimes

How did Debi MacDonald manage to pose as a Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Home Administrator when she didn't have the credentials ? And where is she now ?

Do lobsters feel pain?  That question's been around as long as people have been tossing them into boiling water, cracking open their claws and dipping the meat in melted butter.
On November 19th (see podcast), we spoke with a British man who's invented a device called the CrustaStun. Apparently, it stuns and electrocutes lobsters before they're boiled, thus offering a more humane way to kill them.
But can we really compare what lobsters feel with what we call pain ?
We spoke with Dr Roger Croll, a professor of physiology at Dalhousie Medical School with a special interest in comparing nervous systems.


It was a spectacular case of deception.  
How could someone successfully pose as a nurse practitioner and hold down a senior administrative position in a Halifax nursing home ?
The case involves a woman named Debi MacDonald (left) - one of a dozen aliases she's used.
The College of Registered Nurses has concluded that she stole money from residents, worked without a valid nursing license and lied about her credentials. She's now been permanently banned from working as a nurse in Nova Scotia. But it's not clear where she is now or what she's doing. To read the full report, click here.
CBC Reporter Jennifer Henderson told us disturbing details that have emerged so far.  

Of all of the issues that surround aging, diminished mobility is often the first sign of a significant decline in health and quality of life for seniors. It can lead to reduced independence and social isolation, and have a profound impact on their emotional health - and on the stress for adult children trying to help their parents.   
We were joined by Christine Flegal, a gerontologist with the Mobility Team Project of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Wendy-Lee Hamilton, a physiotherapist with the Annapolis Valley Health District's LINCS Project (Living Independently in Community), who answered your questions about aging and mobility.
For information from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Division of Aging and Seniors, click here.