SEARCY, Ark – A granddaughter is begging for change after she says her grandma is being treated unfairly at a Searcy nursing home.
“This is her last stop, this is what she gets left,” said Katie Smith.
Smith’s grandma has dementia and has been living at the Springs of Searcy nursing home for the past four years.
Smith usually sees her grandma every week, but this visit was unlike any other.
“She goes to give me and hug and I could smell her jacket,” said Smith.
From the moment she said ‘Hello,’ Smith says concerns came to mind. She worried her grandmother’s clothes weren’t being cleaned.
The more she looked, the more she found: stained sheets, sticky substances on furniture, and a coffee cup with mold in it.
Smith says the room was a complete mess and wondered how long her grandma had been living in it.
“Just thinking about it, it just breaks my heart because my grandmother didn’t deserve that,” said Smith.
As the weeks passed, Smith says the room has been picked up but worries the change was just a temporary fix.
KARK 4 News reached out to the nursing home, which issued this statement regarding the issue:
“The Springs at Searcy is well-staffed with a tenured team and strong clinical background, receiving a 4 out of 5-star quality rating by CMS. Every resident’s individual care plan is unique and while we cannot speak to the specific diagnosis or behaviors of any individual, the facility has been in ongoing communication with this family in regard to their loved one’s care and has regularly met with them in-person to discuss their specific care plan. They are in ongoing conversations with the family to ensure the best quality of care for their family member. The facility is proud of the love and care they provide all of the residents and the hundreds of residents who have spent time in the facility, both short- and long-term.“
Rachel Bunch, executive director, Arkansas Health Care Association
