Florence Girard鈥檚 caregiver has told a British Columbia coroner鈥檚 inquest she was deterred from getting help before Girard starved to death by policies about respecting the rights of people living under their home-sharing arrangement.

Astrid Dahl also says she was 鈥渋n denial鈥� when she noticed Girard鈥檚 rapid weight loss in the months leading up to the death of the woman with Down syndrome in 2018.

Dahl says she first noticed Girard was losing significant weight in the summer, just months before she died weighing about 50 pounds.

But she says Girard would go into 鈥渕eltdown鈥� every time she was supposed to go to the doctor or receive medical care, and this influenced Dahl鈥檚 decision to keep Girard at home instead of taking her to hospital as her condition worsened.

Girard lived at Dahl鈥檚 home under a program for people with developmental disabilities overseen by the Kinsight Community Society after being contracted by the provincial Crown corporation Community Living BC.

Dahl has told the inquest she would approach things differently now, given Girard鈥檚 death.

However, Girard鈥檚 strong reactions against going to doctors as well as policies about respecting Girard鈥檚 rights resulted in Dahl not getting her medical help.

鈥淪he didn鈥檛 want to go,鈥� Dahl testified. 鈥淎nd I was told, if Flo says no, she has rights. And she can say no, she doesn鈥檛 want to do it, and I can鈥檛 force her to do it. That鈥檚 what it says in their handbook.

鈥淚鈥檝e had time to think these things and what could I have done differently for a long time, and there鈥檚 many things I could have done differently,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that would be one of them.鈥�

Dahl, who was convicted in 2022 for failing to provide the necessities of life, said she reported Girard鈥檚 outbursts and refusal of medical care to managers at the organization but received no solutions.

The inquest that started on Monday is scheduled to continue until Jan. 22, when a jury is expected to deliberate on possible changes to the care system to prevent similar cases in the future.

鈥淏ecause of her hatred of hospitals and doctors, I just thought if I could take care of her, she would bounce back,鈥� Dahl testified on Tuesday.

鈥淚 was in denial. I clearly know that now.鈥�

Dahl said she decided as Girard鈥檚 condition worsened that it was better to keep her at home instead of letting her die alone in hospice, because of the distress medical settings caused Girard.

鈥淚鈥檝e known her for 30 years,鈥� Dahl testified. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to let something horrible happen to her at the very end of 30 years. Why would I do that? Why would I care and love someone for 30 years and then turn around and just go, 鈥極h well, who cares? Who gives a shit? Just put her in hospice. She鈥檒l die by herself. Whatever.鈥�

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 make sense to me at the time. It still doesn鈥檛 make sense to me.鈥�

Dahl told the inquest of first meeting Girard in 1990 when she started working at Kinsight鈥檚 predecessor in a group-home setting, saying they 鈥渉it it off鈥� due to a shared 鈥渃razy sense of humour.鈥�

Dahl said Girard had challenges socializing with others at the group home, eventually leading to the house-sharing situation beginning in 2010.

鈥淪he was asked if she wanted to come and live with me, and she said yes,鈥� Dahl testified. 鈥淪o she鈥檇 known my family for the whole time I鈥檇 work there, and she鈥檇 known my son. He鈥檇 grown up with her. So we were all tight-knit, if you will.鈥�

Girard鈥檚 sister told the inquest Monday that she would have looked after her sister had she received some sort of funding support, adding that Girard was kept in a bedroom suite at Dahl鈥檚 home that was blocked off by a baby gate, with the movie 鈥淭itanic鈥� playing in the background at all times.

Dahl responded on Tuesday, telling the inquest that Girard 鈥渉ad a fixation鈥� on the movie and wanted the film on 鈥�24/7.鈥�

The baby gate, Dahl said, was for safety as it prevented Girard falling down the stairs.

Earlier on Tuesday, the president of a Down syndrome advocacy group in B.C. told the inquest that more funding is needed for parents and caretakers to avoid such tragedies.

Tamara Taggart told the inquest that parents and caretakers are under heavy financial pressure to provide services such as speech therapy, which can be life-altering for people with Down syndrome.

鈥淭here is no support,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to pay. You鈥檙e on your own.鈥�

Taggart, a former newsreader whose organization was launched in 2021 in direct response to Girard鈥檚 death, said her own family had to pay $12,000 a year for therapy to help her son learn how to eat solid food, and the province provided no support in her case or other similar situations.

She said her family is in a position of privilege to be able to pay and live in Vancouver to access that care, but other families are shut out because of the high cost and lack of access.

鈥淚 do this volunteer work so that everybody has equal access, and that parents don鈥檛 have to quit their jobs to support their child,鈥� Taggart said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have to go bankrupt to support their child and, if I鈥檓 being totally honest, they don鈥檛 (have to) end up in a mental health crisis for sounding like a broken record about their child all the time.鈥�