Four residents have currently been moved from Lydia’s Place, 801 Racine St., and Adult Family Home Lydia, 1607 Valhalla Lane, after the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services shut them down in late February. It is unknown how many more residents will be moved.
The proprietor was Lydia Mukhamediyev of Bellingham who held the licenses to operate both homes.
Accusations of Nursing Home Neglect
The state allegations against the two privately owned home-style facilities seem to be both cases of Mukhamediyev cutting cost corners, but then the report begins to reveal deeper and more disturbing problems.
At the Racine Street home, Mukhamediyev left residents unattended and alone in the home while she went out to run errands. The state sites that she failed to make sure a certified caregiver was present at all times when she was absent. The DSHS report says that this places residents at risk of being harmed in the event of an emergency.
The Valhalla Lane home has the same citation where she left the two adults alone while she spent extended periods of time away, leaving them unattended and thus risking unmet health care needs.
A very odd and dismaying problem DSHS reported was that Mukhamediyev couldn’t speak English well enough to be understood in the event of an emergency, which put residents at risk of unmet health care needs. This also further runs into the question of quality of care and the mental stimulation needed to keep patients from getting sicker.
But perhaps the most disturbing allegation is that one of the residents developed an open festering wound on her tailbone. Mukhamediyev did not communicate the wound for as long as three weeks to a nurse or family members. She attempted to treat it herself and professional help was inevitably needed.
The Facility Owner Responds; The Lawyer Translates.
Mukhamediyev ‘s attorney Dirk Nansen addressed the issues one by one to help clarify her position.
He addressed the most destructive accusation, the open sore. Nansen said that Mukhamediyev did try to contact a nurse regarding the sore, but the nurse didn’t respond for three weeks. He added that Mukhamediyev spoke with the resident’s daughter about the sore. He did not give the result of that conversation.
Nansen said Mukhamediyev acknowledged she shouldn’t have left residents untended while running errands. He said that, if her license to operate is returned to her, she assures DSHS that she will focus on one single home and make sure it’s staffed 24 hours a day.
He finished by saying that she had worked at other nursing homes run by larger companies and even though his client does have a thick Russian accent, not speaking English well enough was not been an issue with her other employment in the area in the past.
Nansen has applied for an informal dispute resolution as well as a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Can go Undetected
Theses accusations are more serious than they seem. Families do not enter their loved ones into care facilities lightly. Often they reluctantly let go of personal care because they cannot provide the 24 hour care their family member requires.
The patient’s care could also exceed the ability of the family member. Bedsores and open wounds are indicative of low activity or other problems tied to level of care. These can lead to serious infections that can quickly kill a person with a sensitive immune system.
If you have a loved one in a nursing home that you suspect has fallen victim to nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect it is important that you retain caring and experienced council. Call Phillips Webster for a review of your legal options.
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