WRAL reports that Hill Forest Rest Home in Chatham County (Goldston, NC) had its license suspended today after an on-site visit found that conditions presented:
“…an imminent danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents, and … emergency action is required to protect the residents,” officials [from the Adult Care Licensure Section of the Division of Health Service Regulation] said in a letter to Warren Gold, administrator of Gold Care Inc. in Rocky Mount, which runs the retirement home. [from WRAL.com]
The 24 residents of the facility are being relocated.
According to the news report, Hill Forest has a long tradition of substandard care. In 2008 and 2009, inspections turned up several violations, including lack of food for the residents. In March 2010, its license was revoked, but residents remained because the owner of Hill Forest Rest Home appealed the decision.
WRAL’s article makes it sound as though things went from bad to much, much worse:
An April inspection found moldy showers, roaches and flies in the kitchen, residents using bed sheets to cover windows for privacy and bathroom doors propped open, according to state Department of Health and Human Services records. A follow-up inspection in June found violations of fire and electrical codes and exterior doors that didn’t lock properly, records show.
If the June violations of fire and electrical codes didn’t cause an immediate shut-down of the facility, it makes one wonder what the inspectors found this time around.
People in nursing homes, rest homes, retirement homes, and assisted nursing facilities deserve the best care a society has to offer, not the worst. Residents and their families should never have been subjected to this kind of a nightmare…one that lasted, presumably, for several years. It’s shameful that Warren Gold and Gold Care, Inc., seem to have put playing the system above caring for senior citizens.
Stories like these are exactly why HensonFuerst Attorneys spend every day fighting for the rights of abused and neglected elderly residents. Thousands of other seniors are stuck in homes just like Hill Forest, individuals who are at the mercy of the facilities they live in. People who need someone to stand up for their rights…and their basic human dignity. The HensonFuerst nursing home abuse team provides a voice for those who cannot always speak up for themselves, and for families who don’t know how to make things better for their loved ones.
If you suspect abuse or neglect at any long-term care facility, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. We’ll walk you through your options, and help you take legal action to get your loved ones to safety. Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so someone is always here to answer your call (1-800-4LAW-MED). You can also visit our Nursing Home Abuse webpage: HensonFuerst Nursing Home Abuse page.
Remember, if you have questions, the attorneys of HensonFuerst have answers.
