LIVONIA, Mich. – Livonia Mayor Dennis Wright said surprise chaos on Wednesday when an senior assisted living center was shut down by the state.
“It’s horrendous how this all came together,” Wright said. “If this had been a fire that day, we would have been in deep trouble. I’m very upset that we were notified right away, and have people there to assist.”
Wright said he doesn't disagree with the state's decision to revoke Ashley Court's operating license, but that his office and the police and fire department were not notified beforehand that the state was telling families they only had hours to get the residents out.
The rush of activity caused backups in the parking lot that spilled out main roads, which Livonia Fire Chief Shadd Whitehead said was a separate safety issue.
“State inspectors have been in there several times over the last 6 months, and even though we are notified of those state inspections in writing via email, the level of egregious-ness and the level of immediacy, we did not understand,” Whitehead said. “If there’s an investigation going on about potential neglect, abuse, or improper treatment, we, as the EMS provider for that facility, and going there on a routine basis, would like to perform our personnel so we can give a higher level of scrutiny to each call.”
Report reveals disturbing details
The state health department abruptly shut down Ashley Court after an investigation revealed of alleged abuse and quality of care issues, as well as a number of both safety and licensing violations.
In March, a resident fell in the shower and suffered a head injury. His head was wrapped in a towel and the man received stitches. The aid assisting said they didn’t know how to use a show chair and an incident report was never completed.
Another resident was taken to the hospital suffering from circulation and kidney problems due to lying in the same position for hours. She had bruising on her face and buttocks, as well as a bruise and skin tear on her knee. The resident’s undergarments were not changed and documents were falsified to indicate they had checked on the resident.
In May, a resident was dropped and hit her face on an end table. Her undergarments also were not changed.
On top of all of the allegations of abuse, there were 13 licensing rule violations, 20 safety violations, and allegations that employees were not properly trained and others had not received the necessary vaccinations.
According to a statement released by the state, the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services found several repeat violations at the home and the Bureau of Health Care Services found quality of care issues. The immediate threat that caused the suspension order was due to the Bureau of Fire Services’ disapproval of the buildings.