Officials in Prosperity, S.C. are investigating a case of nursing home abuse and neglect, which they say is the worst they have ever seen. The investigation into the conditions in Southside Residential Care began after 59-year-old William Sealy, a resident at the nursing home, died after he was rushed to the hospital.
Police say it is the worst case of neglect they have ever seen and that it was very obvious that Sealy had been neglected. According to a news report on WLTX-TV’s Web site, Sealy was reportedly suffering from malnourishment, dehydration, sores, bed bugs and black and swollen toes. The police chief who was interviewed for the story said he watched nurses pull the socks off Sealy’s feet in the emergency room and saw that it pulled off portions of his skin.
The nursing home administrators have denied wrongdoing and say that Sealy was a recent transfer from another nursing home. They also say Sealy was a “difficult patient and did not want anyone to do anything for him.” Prosperity authorities say that the nursing home in question has had a few problems over the years, but nothing major like this one.
This is probably one of the most shocking instances of neglect we as nursing home abuse attorneys have also heard. We’ve heard of and reported in our blogs about other incidents that come close – residents not receiving food, water or medications on time, residents not being cleaned and left in their own waste for days and residents who are not supervised and end up endangering themselves.
Nursing home abuse is almost an epidemic in our country with more and more seniors moving into these care facilities. But these types of problems also arise because nursing homes want to increase their profits. The way they do that is by cutting corners – understaffing their facilities and employing staff with less experience. Eventually, it is the unsuspecting consumers and their families to bear the horrible consequences.
We don’t deny nursing homes deserve to be profitable. We’re all for businesses thriving and flourishing. But that should not happen at the expense of consumers. These businesses must not be allowed to build their fortunes literally on the blood, sweat and tears of their residents and family members, who pay quite a bundle every month to keep their loved ones in such facilities.
If it is in fact found that this South Carolina nursing home was negligent, Sealy’s family should consider taking them to court. Not for the money, but to make the nursing home pay for their carelessness and their lack of concern for a fellow human being.