CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – A local woman who we’re identifying only by her first name, Amy, says her mother is back at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, just a few weeks after she left following back surgery. She went to Autumn Care of Chesapeake for post-operative rehab on Jan. 17.
Her incision from the surgery got drastically worse over the next five days.
“She was left in the bed in soiled bedding and that’s how it became infected — that’s what we think happened,” Amy said.
The Autumn Care doctor prescribed medication, and according to Amy, said “We’re just gonna start her on oral antibiotics, she’s good, that’s all we need to do here.”
But her mother needed more than that.
“[She] was delirious, confused, in excruciating agonizing pain, and the wound was oozing so bad that they couldn’t keep a clean dressing on it. The nurses and the care partner were saying, ‘This is really bad,'” Amy said.
So Amy supported her mother’s decision to leave Autumn Care and was taken back to Chesapeake Regional by ambulance, where she got a far more serious diagnosis. She had three bacterial infections in the wound: including MRSA, E. coli and proteus, which can be deadly if not properly treated.
Once her mother got to the hospital, Amy said they discovered “her condition not only required IV antibiotics, it required surgery, and they took her right into the ER. She was admitted and she’s been there ever since.”
It’s not the first time her mother has been to Autumn Care of Chesapeake.
“She’s had two major surgeries before, [where] she did a post-op recovery at that same facility, and it was fine. The people were wonderful, the care was great,” she said.
But this time Amy says a lack of proper care and adequate staffing caused her mother to suffer. She says when she would visit, her mother’s wing would have one nurse and either one or two care partners in support.
“It just seemed like they were constantly scrambling, and they seemed overworked and burned out,” she said.
Autumn Care is part of Saber Healthcare based in Cleveland. The company has seven centers in Hampton Roads and 34 in Virginia. Last week, 10 On Your Side covered the story of a Norfolk man who pulled his mother out of Autumn Care Norfolk. Amy saw that coverage and contacted 10 On Your Side.
We contacted Saber last week regarding Autumn Care Norfolk, have yet to get a response, and we will reach out again with links to both stories seeking comment.
Asked about her condition, Amy says her mother is day-to-day.
“Nobody deserves what she has been through,” Amy said. “It’s been excruciating for her, it’s been humiliating for her.”
