Even though one incident might not represent everybody’s experience; yet, we would like to bring to your attention a story of an extremely bad experience by a family who had their loved one in a nursing home in Cleveland, OH, and ended up with a bad surprise. Redan Home Health stays neutral toward this incident and would leave it to the readers’ discretion on the pros and cons of transferring a loved one to nursing facilities. However, Redan Home Health cannot insist any further on the point the family in this story tries to make at the end, as we have always been saying too: Please Make Surprise Visits to Nursing Homes.
Here is the story of the incident, as narrated by DailyMail. You may also watch a video of interview with the family that was aired on Cleveland 19 channel.
Jarring photos of an elderly woman helplessly lying face-down in a pillow at an Ohio nursing home has sparked outrage and launched an investigation.
Esther Brown is an 80-year-old resident of Altercare Nobles Pond in Canton and was allegedly found slumped with her face in a pillow gasping for breath and unable to lift her head last week.
She was discovered by her son James Brown and their family’s pastor Julia Wiggins.
Wiggins shared pictures of Brown in her frail and helpless state on Facebook on Tuesday to call out the esteemed nursing home for their neglect.
The Brown family filed a complaint that sparked an investigation into the facility, but state officials reviewed it and deemed it as unsubstantiated on Friday, according to CantonRep.com.
Wiggins described the shocking moment she found Brown slumped in a corner by herself. She had visited the nursing home last week with James Brown when they were told she was moved to a private room.
Once in the room she noticed something in the corner of the nurses station and upon a second look to her horror realized it was Brown.
‘After being inquisitive we approached the subject only to find out that it was Mother Esther Brown face down into a soft pillow gasping for breath and strangling on her own saliva,’ she said.
Brown’s shocked son ‘began to cry out that’s my momma’ and ran to her rescue.
‘We hurried to her and upon hearing her son’s voice she tried with all her might to raise her head,’ Wiggins wrote in her post.
She shared two shocking pictures of a frail Brown slumped over in her chair with her face uncomfortably lying on a small pillow.
The pair desperately yelled for help and had to wait for 10 minutes before someone finally came to assist them.
They say that if they arrived any later, Brown could have died.
‘I was able to capture two pictures to share with you so you would know, never to leave your loved ones in the care of people who are only on the job for a paycheck!!!!’ she wrote.
‘I am very upset that of all nursing facilities, this one was supposed to be the best in all of Stark County,’ she added.
Her post has gone viral racking up 28,000 shares and over 12,000 comments.
Furious social media users blasted the facility and their care as ‘absolutely despicable’ and ‘this is disgraceful’.
Some users pointed out that proper nursing care is an issue in this country.
‘This is very unfortunate and we experienced something similar with my mom,’ on Facebook user wrote.
Some called for the facility to shutter saying, ‘That’s wrong they should be closed down.’
‘This is unacceptable. Something should be done,’ another Facebook user added.
Wiggins said she and Brown’s son have experienced multiple signs of poor service at the facility. Brown once had to ring five times to enter the facility and was shocked there weren’t staffers on hand to immediately answer the door.
Following the incident, Brown’s son James was so concerned about her wellbeing he slept overnight at the facility to oversee her care.
Wiggins called the Executive Director of the facility to report the issue.
‘We are in contact with her family including her son who visits daily. The resident is in no distress and remains well cared for by the Altercare Nobles Pond team of dedicated professionals. She is comfortable and safe,’ the Executive Director of Altercare Nobles Pond said to Wiggins.
Altercare Nobles Pond said in a statement to WOIO that they received a family complaint on February 15 and launched an internal investigation with the Ohio Department of Health. The Ohio Department of Aging was also reportedly looking into the incident.
But following an investigation the Brown family’s complaint was declared unsubstantiated on Friday.
Altercare issued a statement Friday afternoon saying it ‘received the preliminary report from the Ohio Department of Health, which states that the complaint was found to be unsubstantiated.’
The preliminary report means state health officials ‘found there is no evidence that the accusations made against us are true,’ an Altercare representative said to Canton Rep.
However, according to the Ohio Department of Health, until a final written report is issued the investigation is still open.
“Redan Home Health cannot insist any further on the point the family in this story tries to make at the end, as we have always been saying too: Please Make Surprise Visits to Nursing Homes.”
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