This is a classic example of the kind of nursing home abuse that passes for care at some of California’s assisted living facilities. A nursing home in Bakersfield, California that had been fined $100,000 in July for the death of one of its residents from choking on a ketchup packet, has announced its decision to appeal the fine.

The 84-year-old man was a patient at Glenwood Gardens, and apparently suffered from dementia, besides having respiratory problems. He also had a propensity to put non-edible things into his mouth, investigators later found. After he died in 2006, the embalmer at the mortuary found a ketchup packet wedged in his throat.

It was clear that the man had choked on the packet. Investigators were later able to confirm that he had a tendency to place things in his mouth. They also determined that there had been a failure on the part of the staff to monitor his eating practices. The state Department of Public Health imposed a fine of $100,000 in July.

Glenwood Gardens has now appealed the fine. According to its director, the facility could “find no grounds” for the fine. It’s hard to understand this attitude. This was a highly skilled care facility that, according to its own website, specialized in treating patients who suffered from dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with advanced stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have problems swallowing food. They are recommending a pureed diet for precisely this reason. It’s obvious that this resident needed extra care and attention during feeding. It’s also obvious that care was sorely lacking at the facility. What were ketchup packets doing in the hands of a person with dementia?

Glenwood Gardens has a lot to answer for. If their response to the fine is that they can see absolutely no reason for one to be imposed on them, then it’s prudent to worry about the condition of the rest of the residents at the nursing home. As a highly skilled nursing home facility, they advertise the fact that they specialize in taking care of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s, and yet an elderly man who suffers from dementia was allowed to have a packet of ketchup in his hands. As long as there are facilities like Glenwood Gardens around, California nursing home abuse lawyers won’t find themselves out of work, it seems.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of nursing home abuse. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.