(June 16, 2022) Yesterday, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, an adult care facility went viral after a TikTok video showed deplorable living conditions, allegedly being ignored by staff. KENS5 reported that this New Braunfels facility was shown to have moldy ceilings and human waste on the floor, among other things, that the staff claimed to be unable to take care of due to “privacy issues.” The residents of this care facility can have intellectual or developmental disabilities that do not allow them to properly communicate with the staff, according to the report. The company that operates the River Gardens Care Facility, Caregiver Inc., released a statement saying that the viewers of the videos did not have context and that their staff reacts swiftly to restore a safe environment. The statement also pointed out that the facility had received no deficiencies after its state audit last year. In an apparent contradiction, a former employee who spoke to reporters at KENS5, Peggy Martin, stated that she was not surprised it “had gotten worse” since her leaving the company last year. Additionally, Texas Health and Human Services told KENS5 that they were aware of the allegations against the facility and that they were actively investigating. The CEO of Caregiver Inc., Mark Lashley, stated that they would be working with their employees at the River Gardens Center to immediately address necessary repairs and restore a safe environment.

Assisted Living Neglect and/or Abuse in San Antonio

Nursing home neglect is an unfortunately common occurrence here in San Antonio. Most families cannot afford to provide the emotionally and physically taxing challenge of the round-the-clock care that the elderly and disabled need. When they turn to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, they believe that they are entrusting the care of their loved ones to experienced and trained professionals. This is not always true, as is the case in the above story. Common signs of nursing home or assisted living neglect are bedsores, patient depression or withdrawal, and unexplained marks, cuts, or bruises. We understand that each case is unique, so if you think your loved one may be the victim of abuse and/or neglect from an assisted living facility, contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible.