LAKE WALES, Fla. — Barbara Gilbert, 77, is having to relearn tips on how to stroll after a number of critical falls that left her wheelchair certain.
“Every time I get up out the bed, my ankles and stuff swell,” mentioned Gilbert.
She resides at The Groves Center in Lake Wales, a not-for-profit nursing home and rehabilitation heart. Gilbert informed ABC Action News her expertise there was poor, to say the least.
“These people are negligent. They are being very negligent,” mentioned Gilbert.
According to Gilbert, residents have been informed Saturday night time that the power was operating out of briefs. “Everybody don’t have grandchildren like I have. My grandson brought me some of my Depends from home,” she mentioned.
Gilbert mentioned by Sunday, there have been no extra briefs accessible, and sufferers have been left carrying moist briefs, till Monday night time after they have been lastly modified.
“How do you all run out of briefs? How does that happen? When you got all these people in here to take care of and to change and everything,” Gilbert mentioned.
ABC Action News went to The Groves Center to ask about Gilbert’s claims. The administrator refused to reply any of our questions. After doing a little digging, we discovered that the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has inspected the nursing home quite a few occasions, after receiving a number of complaints of neglect and violations over time. The Groves Center can also be rated Below Average by Medicare.
“They make food and it’s disgusting, sometimes you can’t even eat it. You look at it and it looks like slop,” Gilbert mentioned.
Gilbert’s daughter, Elisa Alston mentioned she has now filed a grievance with AHCA.
“Not only for my mom but for other people that don’t have a voice to speak. Like I explained to them, if you walk into a nursing home and you’re working there, pretend like they’re your mom and dad,” mentioned Elisa Alston, Daughter of Gilbert.
ABC Action News reached out to AHCA and they didn’t get again to us in time for this report.