My grandmother, Mrs. Lemons, is currently residing at Davis to recover from pneumonia. She has been there for three days. The first day that she was there, she was left on the toilet for half an hour. This was an extremely dangerous thing for her nurse to do because she has neuropathy from her toes to her hips, and because she is very frail at 90 years old. No one ever showed her how to pull the chord in the bathroom (it is supposed to be pulled from the side, apparently, rather than forward). She was left in the bathroom, completely unattended, for half an hour with no way to call for help. She shouted for help but felt after 20 minutes, she had been forgotten. She was afraid she would fall on the hard tile, so after 20 minutes of being left alone, my grandmother slithered her body down the toilet seat, across the tile floor, and crawled toward her wheelchair to exit the bathroom. When the nurse came back half an hour later, she asked, "How did you get over here, Mrs. Peggy?" Which implies that she also knew my grandmother was immobile.
Later when visiting my Grandmother, she was shaking in fear of being left again and potentially hurting herself. When my Grandmother tried to express her fear to the nurse who left her, she said, "I can only do one thing at a time." Shame on this nurse for making my grandmother feel as if she was a burden on the nurse for simply requesting that she be looked after while using the bathroom. That is mental and physical abuse. When my grandmother spoke to the physical therapist about the issue with the nurse, she said, "Sometimes it takes that long to complete a bowel movement." The PT condoned the nurse's negligence and abuse. It wasn't until my mother spoke up about what could have happened to her mom that the PT agreed that an elderly person in my grandmother's condition should NEVER be left alone in that position for that long.
My family knew this abuse and negligence were unacceptable, so we called the coordinator of Davis and my grandmother's caseworker. They assured us that this would not happen again. However, it has happened again!
I was concerned when I didn't hear from my grandmother on the second day of her being at Davis. The reason being was that the nurses would not help my grandmother reach the phone. It was tucked behind a recliner in her room, which when sitting in the bed or recliner, was almost impossible to reach for someone her age.
The third day my grandmother (who has diabetes) was at Davis, she was not given any idea that her breakfast would be coming at 11 am. She wakes up at 7 or 8 each morning. Because she has diabetes, she needs to eat soon after waking. Not only did Davis give my grandmother her breakfast at 11 am, but they only gave her half of what she ordered/needed and made her sit in a wet diaper for hours. They gave her half an omelet and some milk. No cereal or fruit cup. She hasn't eaten or been helped to use the bathroom since 5 pm the night before, and now her sugar and hunger are out of control. And her skin is damaged from sitting in a wet diaper for hours.
When I called the coordinator to ask what the deal on breakfast was, I couldn't get ahold of anyone.
Around 2 pm when visiting with my grandmother on the same day, I ask the nurse, please fill my grandmother's water glass. She doesn't have any water left. The nurse said the aid would come by to do it. My grandmother called for someone when an hour had passed and no aid had come. Eventually, she had to ask a visitor in the hallway to fill up her water because either no one had checked on her since I left or no one cared to help fulfill my grandmother's basic need of thirst.
Today is Easter and the fourth day that my grandmother will be at Davis. If things do not improve, we will have to transfer her and take legal action. This care has been so unprofessional and inhuman. We hope no one else's loved one is going through what my grandmother is going through right now at this facility.
The one star is for the cook at Davis who has offered to clean my grandmother's room during her break. read more
