Relatives of an elderly vet in Ohio took to social media to post their complaints about the care of their family member. The social media posts claim that the man has been neglected by nursing home staff prompting the nursing home to conduct an internal investigation.
The post claims that the 89-year-old man, staying in Laurels of Huber Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, was in dire need of attention when visited.
The post outlines several major issues at the care facility, including trash strewn everywhere and fruit punch across the bed sheets. The family member even claims that food was piled up on the man’s brace while he was in bed.
Officials at the nursing home have declined to be interviewed but claim that they are aware of the complaints made against the facility. The officials claim that an internal investigation is underway and that they will cooperate with any regulatory agencies as needed.
The post, written by Christine Vagedes on Facebook, was shared over 20, 000 times going viral in the process.
The nursing home has been under investigation in the past year. Previous citations include a former employee that had theft convictions and drug possession convictions and still managed to be employed.
Nursing home officials claim that the previous complaints have been resolved.
Reports indicate that the man involved in the nursing home abuse has been transported to the intensive care unit at Grandview Medical Center. Social media users took to the Ohio Department of Health’s social media pages to spread awareness of the neglect the man suffered.
The department has asked that official complaints be made.
No official confirmation has been given by the Department of Health on a potential investigation into the matter.
Nursing home abuse and neglect is often caused by staff being shorthanded without enough employees to fill their ranks. A lot of families are choosing home care as an option with 25% of the United States population expected to be 65 or older by 2050.
The news comes as three nursing home staffers were recently charged with the death of a WWII veteran. The veteran could be seen on video crying out for help as staffers at the nursing home ignored the man’s pleas.
One worker can be heard telling the man that he is only having an anxiety attack.
The actions of the three employees led directly to the death of James Dempsey, 89. Dempsey’s death occurred in 2014 with the man undergoing dialysis treatment for liver problems. His relatives installed a camera in the room after the man expressed concerns about staying in the facility.
Family members took the camera home and watched the video of their loved one calling out for help. Distress calls were ignored and he was then seen being unresponsive. The footage was made public showing that the three staffers created the false impression that they were trying to save the man’s life after ignoring his distress calls.
One employee was charged with neglect of an elderly person, another of depriving an elder person of essential services and a third of felony murder and neglect of an elder person.