Resident Left With Infected Catheter and Covered in Vomit

A man suffers from a horrific infection because of nursing home neglect. Three former staff were charged with neglect from the 2015 incident.

According to an article on Ohio News 4’s website, the Oklahoma Attorney General began to investigate three former nursing home workers when reports of a horrifying incident surfaced.

The three women used to work at the Edwards Redeemer Nursing Home in Oklahoma City in 2015. The article reports that the man was transferred from the nursing home to an acute care center because he needed specialized attention for a wound on his heel. According to the article a probable cause statement stated that the man arrived in a terrible state.

When he arrived at the new facility, the affidavit states the victim was “pale and covered in vomit.”

“Upon further examination of the Foley catheter the nurses discovered that the balloon of the catheter had only been inserted approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches int he penis and the inflated balloon was protruding through the skin of the shaft of the penis creating an infected chronic non-healing posterior ulcer to the penis,” the report states.

This is an example of medical neglect. Medical neglect occurs when a nursing home fails to provide adequate attention to a resident’s medical needs, such as failing to prevent or adequately treat medical issues like bedsores, urinary tract infections, infections, pneumonia, and the like.

Neglect: Horrific Conditions, Infections, and Serious Injury

People living in a nursing home need nursing attention and assistance with activities of daily living by definition: that’s why they are in a nursing home to begin with. Withholding that care—neglect—can range from ignoring hygiene needs like toileting to failing to provide appropriate medications as ordered by a physician.

The staff that cares for a resident on a daily basis must pay attention to subtle changes in the resident’s condition to recognize and seek help for possible medical conditions before they worsen.  These conditions can include bed sores, infections, cuts, diabetes, cognitive diseases, and mobility concerns such as inability to walk or transfer from bed to standing or sitting safely without assistance.

According to the article, the infection was not reported by the Edwards Redeemer Nursing Home staff. It was not until he was transferred to the Kindred Long Term Acute Care center where the staff there diagnosed him with a penile ulcer, septic symptoms, and they reported that he could have gone into septic shock.

Doctors learned that the balloon of the catheter was not put all the way into the victim’s bladder, causing the injury. Doctors also stated that it was probably that way for 10 days before he was transferred to the new facility.

It is important to know some signs of neglect in order to prevent your loved from experiencing such a horrific and life threatening situation.

Critical signs of nursing home neglect

Here are some critical signs of nursing home neglect that should put you on alert that intervention is needed immediately to change a possibly deadly course of decline:

• Bedsores (also called pressure ulcers);
• poor hygiene;
• sudden, unusual, or unexpected weight loss;
• Injuries from nursing home falls;
• Dehydration;
• Malnutrition;
• Changes in behavior or emotional state, such as becoming withdrawn, confused, or disoriented;
• Changes in personal hygiene or appearance efforts, such as not getting dressed, out of bed, or other changes in routine;
• Unsafe room or facility conditions, such as poor lighting, slippery floors, unsafe mobility equipment, or unsafe furniture in the nursing home resident’s room;
• Staff refusing to let family members or friends visit the resident;
• Resident being kept in an overmedicated state.

If you notice any of these signs in your loved one, please contact a medical professional or nursing home administrator immediately. It could be a matter of life and death!

If you are concerned about your loved one’s safety or your loved one has been seriously injured or killed by suspected nursing home neglect, please contact me. You may comment below or contact me through this confidential form here. If you would like more information on nursing home neglect you can also visit my page here.

You can read the full article referenced above, here.