Nursing home neglect are becoming more of a problem in this country as facilities are increasingly understaffed and underfunded. It is important for the staff of these homes to be on top of every patient because quick responses can be the difference between life and death.
Alton Stovall, a 50-year-old man who was living in Edgemoor Hospital, a county run nursing home in Santee, California, died on May 30, 2010 from a bleed after falling from his bed. After falling, Stovall bled for 30 minutes, as other patients pressed their emergency call buttons to get the attention of the nurses. His call button had been tied to the wall, out of his reach. The first call for help was at 3:59 a.m., at 4:24 a.m. another nursing assistant found Stovall drenched in his own blood with his breathing “labored and erratic.” At 4:40 a.m., the nursing assistant found a supervisor who called 911. The EMTs arrived shortly after the patient stopped breathing and pronounced him dead at 5:24 a.m.
County Nursing Home Tries to Cover Up Cause of Resident’s Death
Marilyn Tiu and Tess Oli were working at Edgemoor Hospital the night that Stovall died. Tiu was assigned to check on him that night and Oli was assigned to the unit. Neither of the women responded to any of the calls from the other patients that Stovall needed help. Tiu did not show up to check on the patient until after the EMTs had arrived. The ombudsman report stated:
“It appears that Stovall died because of the gross negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of the staff at Edgemoor and that he could have been saved had his emergency call cord not been tied to the wall out of his reach, had (another patient’s) emergency call been answered in a reasonable time, and if the unit had been properly staffed.”
The facility’s administrator Gwenmarie Hilleary, despite state law, did not report the nursing home neglect or the death to the ombudsman’s office. They did not learn of the incident until three days later, from a “distressed employee” who was claiming the hospital was trying to cover up the death. The employee also claimed that several workers felt intimidated by the administrators and were told not to speak with county investigators. According to the ombudsman’s report:
“It became immediately apparent to us at the beginning of our investigation that there were many, large inconsistencies in what Edgemoor’s administrators were telling us and what the staff members, who had first-hand knowledge of the facts and circumstances of Stovall’s death, were telling us.”
The medical examiner performed a short routine examination of Stovall’s body prior to the ombudsman’s office learning of the circumstances of the death. By the time a full autopsy would have been requested, the body had been embalmed making the full autopsy impossible. On March 1 of this year, San Diego County paid a $2 million settlement to Stovall’s family for the nursing home neglect. Tui no longer works for the county, but Oli and the administrator Gwenmarie Hilleary both still work for Edgemoor.
Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If your loved one is currently a resident of a nursing home or care facility and you are worried that the care they are receiving is negligent, abusive, or inadequate, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Sherrye Dianne Huff, the former administrator of the home, was arrested in May on five felony charges- three counts of theft and two counts of exploiting an elderly or disabled person- and one misdemeanor charge of theft for stealing from an Alzheimer’s patient. Donna Tower, the elderly man’s niece, said that the man would tell his family that someone was stealing from him but everyone brushed it off because of his Alzheimer’s. They later found out that he was telling the truth and Huff was taking his checks.
– Physical Abuse is the non-accidental use of physical force that may result in injury, physical pain or impairment of an elderly person. Physical abuse includes acts of violence such as hitting, beating, shaking, shoving, kicking and burning as well as inappropriate use of medications, physical restraints, depriving basic needs and force-feeding.
Ella Jean Moorer is facing a charge of Injury to the elderly, disabled reckless bodily injury for an incident where she injured an 88-year-old patient who has severe Alzheimer’s. According to other staff members of the nursing home, Moorer was trying to change the patient’s clothes when he resisted… “She then became frustrated and grabbed the elderly man’s upper arm, pushed him towards the toilet, put him in a head lock and tried to force him to the toilet with her hand on his chest”. The man later complained of chest pains and had bruising on his upper arm. Moorer denied the incident to the nursing home administrators. She was put on administrative leave and later fired. According to facility administrator Timothy Stuteville:
The Johnson Mathers Nursing Home in Carlisle, Kentucky received a Type A citation from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of Inspector General on May 10 for an April 30, 2010 incident of nursing home neglect where a resident’s life or safety was endangered because of violations of state regulations. The incident involved a newly admitted resident who was on a pureed diet and had requested all necessary measures be taken to save her life.
It is essential that people keep pressure off of the open sore in order to limit damage and irritation to the skin. Patients should also maintain good hygiene and a strong and nutritious diet. Although cleanliness is important, it is essential to delicately clean and dry the wound as opposed to a vigorous rubbing motion which could cause further damage. There are many important vitamins and nutrients which contribute to healthy skin. People should be sure to have a sufficient intake of protein, calories, zinc, iron, and vitamins A and C. 
Eisenreich, who bought the nursing homes in 1991, is also misusing Omni funds for his own personal gain. In 2007, Omni made over 20 million dollars in profit while 90% of their funding comes from tax dollars. He was not using the money to improve facility care or increase employee salary. He paid caregivers as little as $7.90 an hour while he paid himself more than $1,500 an hour. He had not invested in training programs in over two years. Eisenreich would intimidate and harass his employees, refused to offer them a reasonable family healthcare plan, and created a hostile work environment. In 2009, 400 Omni workers went on strike that lasted three days to send a message to Eisenreich and the rest of Omni that they wanted fair treatment and pay.
A 69-year-old nursing home resident died on Tuesday, June 7th after care workers neglected to bring him inside for over three hours. Martin Belkin, who lived at Sunrise Care Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had a history of medical problems. He asked care workers early Tuesday afternoon to be taken outside in his wheelchair. He was left in the heat for over three hours, from 2:45 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. He was found unresponsive. Tuesday was a record high for Milwaukee, reaching 97 degrees at 3:47 p.m. A staffer at the medical examiner’s office asked for a reading of Belkin’s body temperature just before 8 p.m. That reading relayed that Belkin’s body temp was 101.4 degrees. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy this week to determine if Tuesday’s heat was the official cause of Belkin’s death. 
According to a report from