‘My father was strong … he was not ready to die.’

I would like to share my experience with one nursing facility. They initially presented the facility well during our tour. We came to learn it had extremely poor staffing — specifically, on the evening and night shifts. The weekends were short-staffed.

My father was admitted to this facility on Dec. 28, 2018. The primary reason was pulmonary edema of both legs and wound care, along with physical therapy evaluation. My father was ambulatory with a walker and assistance. He was alert and oriented.

On Oct. 9, 2019, my father fell, and an X-ray confirmed a right hip fracture. Facility clinical staff provided conflicting explanations about how my father fell.

On Oct. 22, my sister found my father unresponsive, and his tongue was black and blue. Clinical staff had placed a towel over his private parts where he was bleeding. Once I arrived, I asked his nurse to call the ambulance for him. My father was admitted to ICU, and his labs were critical. The doctors explained they couldn’t do anything for him, and we needed to readmit him to hospice.

He was transferred back to the facility. On Nov. 9, my father fell again. Clinical staff couldn’t explain how that happened. My father’s condition continued to deteriorate. Our family was in pain and agony, going to visit daily and watching our father die. My father was strong, and he fought so hard.

He was not ready to die.

I received the call Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving, that my father was dead. We have a large family of 14 siblings and grandchildren. I needed to wait for family to come before having the mortuary pick up his body. Previously, I asked several times if the facility would transfer my father to a private room so our family could spend the night, but the facility would not approve. My father’s roommate had to endure our pain and tears for weeks up until my father died. My father’s body was in the room for six hours, and we tried diligently not to upset the roommate.

The facility provided horrible care to my father. The staffing was inefficient, and patients’ health care needs were not met. My father’s nurse went to lunch for one hour, and I was told she didn’t sign out to anyone, so therefore my father’s morphine dose had to wait for her return.

My father was loved, and we took very good care of him. We didn’t admit him to the facility for them to kill him.

Family and friends will share many stories about my dad.

I’ve filed a complaint with the state of Georgia asking them to investigate my father’s death.