“They merely saw Mr. Williams as a prisoner that required chemical restraints.”
The Herald Sun reported that Alando Williams died in his bed at a California nursing home due to a fatal dose of medication. The California nursing home drugged Williams to keep him from wandering off. Clearly, they did not have enough staff to supervise the residents to mainatina their health, safety, and well-being.
Kyomi Williams, his daughter, said, “My father’s last days were spent in horrific conditions with people who were supposed to provide care for him and instead abused and neglected him.”
Williams was a man loved by all in the Berkeley community. He was a family man remembered for his “calm presence and gentle smile.”
William arrived at the California nursing home on December 9, 2022, with leukemia and cognitive impairment. Upon his arrival, he allegedly had an “adequate” treatment plan from his doctors before his death on January 7, 2023. According to Kyomi Williams, this treatment plan was not followed.
Williams needed daily assistance with activities as well as supervision from staff “to protect him from wandering off, falls, and other safety hazards.” The
doctors had ordered him two medications as the nursing home staff was aware of his wandering. Ativan, which is a sedative and anxiety medication, and morphine, a pain-relieving opioid.
Before distributing medication, Williams’ doctor had to approve each dosage that was given to him. The staff is now accused of not consulting with the doctor.
According to the complaint, the facility did not create nor implement any plan to protect Mr. Williams but instead used drugs to chemically restrain him.
“I was never told that the facility was administering to my dad unauthorized and lethal doses of sedatives like Ativan”
–Kyomi Williams.
Shlomo Rechnitz, the infamous nursing home owner, as well as the nursing home, are being sued on several claims: dependent neglect, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Rechnitz’s nursing homes have a “habitual understaffing” problem and that the staff fails to keep patients safe. Rechnitz is known as California’s “largest nursing home owner”, according to an investigation by The Sacramento Bee. His facilities are now being relooked over quality care concerns. Brius Healthcare Services negligently managed the nursing home.
Ed Dudensing, elder abuse attorney, represents Kyomi Williams, said that medical experts are prepared to testify about how the two medications contributed to Mr. Williams’ death. Kyomi Williams said that the nursing home was “dirty and hazardous” when she would visit. She noted that she saw staff members sleeping, medications were being left out, and items that she would leave for her father would go missing.
According to the complaint, Kyomi was notified that her father had been wandering away from nursing home staff. The day before the nursing home had increased his Ativan dosage, Mr. Williams was found outside on a crosswalk.
Clearly, staff members did not care for Mr. Williams’s basic needs. He would be left with no blanket at night when struggling with coughs and shortness of breath. Kyomi also noted that she was never notified of her father’s medical events, “such as when he developed a severe UTI or bleeding”.
“A staff member told me in confidence that she had asked about notifying me about my dad’s bleeding and was told it was not necessary ‘because he is dying anyway,” said Kyomi Williams.
As a result of the routinely higher dosage for Mr. Williams, the nursing home caused him to suffer from many complications, including disorientation, conduction, loss of balance, and decline in function, and ultimately, his need for dependency on care providers was increased, which led to further neglect and complications.
Leading up to Mr. Williams’ death, the facility doubled his morphine dose, which resulted in his fall on January 3, 2022.
Kyomi said, “It is difficult to convey the depth of our family’s loss, but we are taking this legal action in hopes that no other family has to go through a similar experience.”