People turn to nursing homes when they have no other options left. These places are designed to help and provide the elderly people enough comfort, easy life, and constant health care. One won’t expect mistreating or negligence of the residents by the staff.
The story of Esther Brown, an 80-year old lady from Ohio gives a different picture about the nursing homes.
Esther was a patient in Altercare Nobles Pond in Canton. Her family’s pastor and her son James decided to visit her unannounced one day. What they saw was a total shock for the whole family.
When they got in the private rooms, they found Esther totally alone. This wouldn’t be strange if it wasn’t for her position. Her head was resting on a pillow on the desk and she was starting to choke on her own saliva. This unbelievable scene disturbed the family.
Julia Wiggins, the pastor, made two photos of Esther. She used these photos to convince the other families to check on their loved ones and see if they are in good hands. She also used the photos to show the world what’s really going on in the Altercare Nobles Pond.
Her Facebook post also explains that after the unexpected visit, Esther’s clothes were changed and she was moved into a private room.
Julia goes into details. The unannounced visit was intended to be a surprise for Esther, but the surprise was the other way around. According to Julia, when they entered the facility, they saw something weird in the nurses’ station. Believing that it was a cat, they ignored it for a moment.
However, when they got nearer, they saw Esther choking on her saliva. They started yelling and shouting, but for 10 minutes no one appeared in the station.
Esther recognized her son’s voice and that gave her strength to move a bit. They immediately started helping the lady.
This shocking event made these people call the other families to check on their beloved ones. And they did, as many families that night came to Altercare Nobles Pond.
Her post and photos ended up in the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Department of Aging. Some of the workers tried to justify the situation by claiming that many dementia patients have enough strength, so ending up in a situation like that may not be surprising.
Nevertheless, the family filed a complaint against Altercare Nobles Pond. The investigation is ongoing.