Dead Rat Found In Senior's Mouth,Suit Claims

[Kor37 9]

Dead Rat Found in Senior's Mouth, Suit Claims

By GILLIAN FLACCUS

AP

 

 

SANTA ANA, Calif. (April 7) - Staffing was so inadequate at a California senior center that a rat crawled into an Alzheimer's patient's mouth and died there before staff noticed, a lawsuit claims.

 

The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of 90-year-old Sigmund Bock, alleges that administrators at the Paragon Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in Mission Viejo overbooked their facility to receive corporate bonuses, but cut back on staff to increase profits.

 

"The facility so literally ignored the needs of their residents ... as to allow vermin in the form of a rat to become lodged in the mouth of Sigmund Bock and die therein," the lawsuit alleges.

 

Melody Chatelle, a spokeswoman for Sunwest Management Inc., the Oregon-based company that operates Paragon, denied the allegations.

 

"We take care of our residents, and find this negative publicity to be a disheartening affront to our professional caregivers and most especially to our residents and their loved ones," she said.

 

Chatelle said that Bock was found holding a glue trap that had been placed in his room by a pest control company to catch a single field mouse. She said the dead field mouse was inside the trap when Bock picked it up.

 

Bock's attorney, Stephen Garcia, challenged that account. He said two traps were placed in Bock's room and both were laced with poison, not glue.

 

He said Paragon records show a staff person noticed Bock "playing with a rat in his room and eating candy ... with the rat" on the morning of March 18. A short time later, Garcia said, paramedics called to the scene noted "possible ingestion of rat poison" in their report and an emergency room file says that Bock was "found in room in care facility with dead rat in mouth."

 

Bock is now being treated at another facility, Garcia said. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages and attorney and court fees.

 

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of troubles for Paragon Gardens.

 

Last year, the state moved to revoke Paragon Gardens' license after a 71-year-old dementia patient wandered from the facility and was never found. The state Department of Social Services also claimed six clients were injured from improper care, according to spokesman Michael Weston. The company has appealed.

 

The state is also investigating Bock's case after receiving an anonymous report on March 23, Weston said.

 

Its really awful how older people are treated in some of these places. A long time ago, I worked at a nursing home. I was appalled at how the staff treated the poor people there. They were mocked, ignored and generally mistreated. Also, whenever something really good was being served for dinner, the staff would steal their food. I quit in disgust after a few months even though I didn't have another job lined up. I couldn't take it anymore.

[Lady Britannia 0]

I've seen this kind of thing before, concerning the mistreatment of the eldery. Secret video footage of old people being shaken and slapped and having to eat cold food and even being put into scorching hot baths. It's disgraceful. If I worked at an elderly home and saw the staff abusing them, there would be violence.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

Dead Rat Found in Senior's Mouth, Suit Claims

SANTA ANA, Calif. (April 7) - Staffing was so inadequate at a California senior center that a rat crawled into an Alzheimer's patient's mouth and died there before staff noticed, a lawsuit claims.

 

Forget about the workers, what the heck made the old man's breath stink so much to kill a rat?

[RikerChick 5]

Stories like this make me sick. The elderly should be treated with respect and dignity, instead our society brushes them aside as if they're worthless.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I agree that such stories are disturbing - but how much do caregivers earn in places like this? If they were paid more would you get a better class of employee - those that would treat the elderly properly? Or do they simply need money to hire more staff so no one is overworked? In either case, where should that money come from.

[trekz 7]

A very disturbing story. Having searched (many years ago) for nursing homes when my mother and aunt seemed in need of one, the choices are not always plentiful or what one would hope for. The best ones can be expensive and not always located as close to home as one would hope. Staffing is often far from what is needed. I don't know where the money should come from, but this society should not shunt its elderly aside because of the cost imo. Yet society often wants to cheap out when it comes to the young (not enough affordable, convienientyly located day care or preschool centers, or poor facilities or carefor the homeless or our veterans imo. Society needs to step up imo, but people don't seem to worry about these things until it happens to someone who they know - general obliviousness on too many issues.

[Angela 1]

All about the benjamins and not about the person.

 

What can I say, this life, or the end of it at least, sucks for some I pray it never be me.

[Gummy 0]

That...is....just....NASTY!