My sister & I have been advocating for our mother for approximately three years now. This is our current status: We've been struggling with John J. Kane Regional in Scott Township for THREE YEARS about the substandard, negligent care that our mother has been receiving. John J. Kane Regional is a County run nursing home in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh PA. What is truly frightening is that this home has received a 5 Star rating by Medicare. Below you will find pictures that we took yesterday (April 26, 2010) to document the wretched condition that we found our mother in yesterday. This situation is not a new development. We've addressed this issue and many others at ever Six Month Care Plan Meeting we've attended and between the two of us have attended about six Care Plan Meetings . Yesterday, aside from the deplorable unhygienic condition we found her in she was also in a confused, lethargic state. We insisted the that the Unit Nurse call for an ambulance and have our mother transported to Allegheny General Hospital. The day before ( April 25th) My niece went to the nurses station reporting to the unit nurse that her Grandmother (our mother) looked unwell & seemed to be confused and disoriented , the nurse checked our mother's vital signs and then left a note for someone to request a doctor's visit. Well 28 hours had passed and still NO DOCTOR came to examine our mother. Last night, in Allegheny General Hospital's ER the doctors said that our mother was suffering from neglect, her lungs were filling with fluid, she has a UTI ( urinary tract infection), her heart is in de-fib. She has been admitted into hospital.
PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON, I WILL BE UPDATING THIS BLOG. I WILL BE POSTING DOCUMENTATION OF THIS ON GOING, LONG TERM NEGLECT OUR MOTHER HAS BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE OVER THE PAST TWO-PLUS YEARS. I WILL POST ALL OF THE INFORMATION WE HAVE PROVIDED TO 'THE DEPARTMENT OF AGING' AND TO OTHER PENNSYLVANIA REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS. AS OF YET, NOT ONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN OF ANY ASSISTANCE. AS A MATTER OF FACT ONE HAS EVEN BLAMED OUR MOTHER, 'THE VICTIM' FOR HER OWN NEGLECT.
Yeast, pus, greasy hair, scabby sebum growth on her face...all of which has a very bad odor.
How would you like to find YOUR helpless mother in this condition?
Kane receives in the neighborhood of $9,000.00 a month from Medicaid to subsidize her (neglect and lack of) care. My mother also has to give Kane a co-pay of an additional $800 a month from her Social Security check. Nursing Home Residents are only permitted to keep $45.00 a month. Imagine turning over all of your money to a facility that systematically neglects you day after day, month after month, year after year...... and there's not a damned thing you can do about it..?!
Green pus behind her left ear
White pus/yeast behind her right ear
Dried pus around her feeding tube. Red Inflamed skin
A large area of a horrible smelling yeast growth on her back
Inflamed gums, dirty teeth. We have requested on several occasion over the past two years for her to see a dentist to have her teeth cleaned and gums treated, it never happened.
As if all of the above information is not heart-wrenching enough; during many of my visit my mother as whispered to me with great embarrassment: ' Patty, I can smell myself'. -and- in a pathetic attempt to try to preserve what little shred of dignity she tries to hang onto.... I have lie to my mother each time, telling her that it's not her, it must be her room-mate.
