SNELLVILLE, GA (WXIA) — A metro Atlanta nursing home is under investigation tonight for possible neglect and mistreatment of a female patient.
She was rushed to the emergency room with a 3-inch gash on the side of her head, and when doctors took a closer look police say they found more wounds just as disturbing. The 77-year-old woman has been there for four years, since a fall left her unable to move or even communicate. Family members say they visit her every week, and thought she was being well cared for. Now they’re convinced she wasn’t and police are investigating.
“She is bedridden. She is basically dependent on people to take care of her and that has not been done,” said the woman’s grandson, Ryan Sheppard. Sheppard is talking about his grandmother, who was being cared for here at the New London Health Center in Snellville, until she was rushed to the emergency room Tuesday.
Doctors found a 3-inch laceration on the side of her head that required four staples to close, and bleeding on the brain. When doctors asked what had happened, the facility said it was unsure of details surrounding the trauma associated with this event. “They just say it’s under investigation. They can’t tell us anything. Nobody is confessing, nobody is telling us anything,” Sheppard said.
Doctors also found severely ingrown toenails, overall poor hygiene, including an open wound on the back of her hand where a bandage had not been changed for days. 11Alive News tried to get some answers from the nursing home.