Nursing Home Residents Were Abandoned By Staff Members As Fires Closed In, California Agency Claims
None of the residents died or were injured in the fire, but the state's Department of Social Services accused the staff of being unprepared and leaving before everyone was taken to safety.
The New York Times:
California Says Nursing Homes Abandoned Elderly During Fire
As a firestorm descended on the Northern California city of Santa Rosa in October, staff members at two nursing homes abandoned their residents, many of them unable to walk and suffering from memory problems, according to a legal complaint filed by the California Department of Social Services. The state agency is now seeking to close the facilities and strip the managers of their licenses. (Fuller, 9/7)
Meanwhile —
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Assisted Living Facility Fined $10,000 For Man’s Repeated Falls
Nick Alexander was visiting his stepfather Aug. 28, 2016, at Carlton Senior Living, an assisted living facility in the Sacramento suburbs. He was concerned about Alan Nelson, who had fallen numerous times at the facility, and Nick Alexander was frustrated that no changes were being made. Nelson’s doctor prescribed the placement of alarms on his wheelchair and bed to alert staff at the facility when he was up and to reduce the potential for a fall. But no alarms had been installed, even though the family asked for them repeatedly. (Holzer, 9/5)