Fourth-generation Red Hook resident, Judith Dailey recently had to go to rehab after a problem with her leg. Unfortunately, it was not a good experience for her and she called us to complain about neglect, inadequate meals, and rude treatment from staff members.
Dailey has been a prominent member of the Red Hook community her entire life, spending time on the Carroll Gardens Association board, the Long Island College Hospital Board of Regents, Community Board 6, PCH board at District 15, and more. Dailey was admitted to a local Cobble Hill facility after losing all the strength in her leg and remained in the nursing home’s care for two and a half months, coming home on October 30.
Dailey believes the problem was due to understaffing issues. She says the nursing home advertised to her that their staff-to-patient ratio was 4:1, but on most days, that number was more like 8:1 or 12:1. The understaffing led to a lack of check-ins and general care. Dailey says there was a time when her tray of food was left in her room from 6 pm to 9 am the next day. Nobody came to check on her for almost 15 hours. This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, as Dailey once sat in her own waste for multiple hours due to neglect.
Additionally, the lack of staff prevents the nursing home from closely monitoring the diets of residents. Dailey says residents could order food from nearby restaurants whenever they wanted with very little observation of what they were eating. Dailey is also a diabetic and needs to avoid sugary foods, but she says the staff continued to give her sugary fruits and foods anyway.
Not only were Dailey’s dietary needs not observed, she says the menus and food altogether were neglected as well. Meals were served with a paper menu of what was on the plate, but Dailey says these menus were often incorrect. Certain foods listed on the paper would just not be served with the meal, and she says the food that was served was inadequate, often leaving her without proper nourishment.
No respect
Dailey clashed with the staff members, saying that they made her feel belittled and didn’t listen to her requests. Dailey’s conflicts began when her daughter, who once worked in a nursing home, visited one day. A staff member came to help Dailey wash herself, and when Dailey’s daughter offered to do it, the staff member refused to let her. The staff member insisted on doing it themself, while both Dailey and her daughter objected, which was the start of growing tension between Dailey and the staff.
After repeated conflicts, Dailey sent a request to the administrator to move rooms and for that staff member to be talked to, and to not interact with them again. She moved rooms, but weeks later, that same staff member treated her again. Despite telling Dailey the situation was taken care of, the situation was not solved.
During her time in the nursing home, Dailey wanted things to change and consistently had conversations that were not acted upon. She feels the lack of passion from staff starts at the top. In an effort to change things at the nursing home, she has filed a complaint with the state about her experience.
Dailey’s time at the nursing home took a toll on her mentally, so she pushed herself to get out as soon as she could.
Not all bad
She says the physical therapy staff at the nursing home was incredible, and she’s thankful for the part they played in keeping her spirits up both mentally and physically. If given the chance to change things, Dailey says she would bring more sunlight into the facility, because the darkness only makes people at the health center feel worse. She also wants to change the pattern of not listening to residents, the lack of communication between staff members, and the understaffing issue.
Editors Note – We have deliberately not disclosed the facility where Ms. Dailey had a problem with because our staff has not been able to get the other side of the story. We thought her story interesting and credible, as Judith Dailey is a well known and respected member of the Red Hook community. We welcome other viewpoints about nursing home facilities locally or elsewhere and would gladly publish any letters that you might want to send to us at [email protected].
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