Officials Find "Total Collapse" of Care at Local Assisted Living Facility

According to the Orlando Sentinel, after seven complaints, officials from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration inspected an Emeritus Properties’ assisted living facility called Emeritius at Crossing Pointe. As a result of the inspection, they placed an immediate stop to any and all new admissions at this facility.

Inspectors found dozens of violations over a two week period and reported conditions such as:

• A patient who died of heart failure after staff members failed for four days to give her the heart medicine she had been prescribed.

• Another patient who was given a blood thinner — a medicine she had not been prescribed — that made her so sick, she went to the hospital for an emergency blood transfusion.

• An employee who had falsified medication and nurse’s orders.

• Three Alzheimer’s patients with toenails so long they curled around their toes.

• Managers who, over several days, could not give an accurate resident count. One day, they were off by more than 30 people.

Emeritus owns four other facilities in Orange County and have fully complied with the Agency’s requests, submitting a corrective action plan in writing to address the current problems as well as preventative measures so these conditions will not occur in the future.

It is because of horror stories like these that it is imperative that caregivers fully inspect facilities prior to placing their loved ones in a facility, make unannounced visits, and visit often. Do not let this happen to your loved one!