-
Login
-
Digital Edition
-
Print Edition
- Most Commented
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Most Emailed
- Popular
- Popular
« News Home
Woman found in unheated trailer
TweetBy Denise Dick
The 91-year-old was cold, disoriented and dehydrated.
BOARDMAN — A 91-year-old woman was hospitalized after police and a Mahoning County Job and Family Services employee found her living in a trailer with no heat.
A social worker at JFS’s Adult Protective Services contacted police Thursday after checking on the woman and finding no heat on in her home at Martin Trailer Park, South Avenue. Temperatures Thursday ranged between minus 4 and 18 degrees.
Capt. Jack Nichols said the incident ended well under the circumstances.
“At least she got help,” he said.
The agency has been checking on the woman since December, the social worker told Sgt. John Allsopp, and the employee was checking on her.
It was so cold inside the trailer that pop sitting on the kitchen counter had frozen. When ambulance personnel called to the scene asked the woman the last time she had eaten something, she said she couldn’t remember.
The protective services employee described the woman as “very disoriented, very cold and dehydrated,” according to a police report.
At protective services’ request, Allsopp completed an application for emergency admission for hospitalization, and the woman was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she remained hospitalized Friday.
The protective services employee believed the woman was unable to provide for her basic physical needs and that she would benefit from medical treatment.
Nichols said that Adult Protective Services does a good job of addressing people and problems such as the one discovered Thursday at the mobile home park. The police department also has a Youth and Family Services Unit that gets involved in such cases. The unit’s case manager was briefed on this week’s incident too.
Nichols urged people to contact protective services or police if they suspect an elderly neighbor needs help and cannot care for him or herself.
“Certainly, we’re a good place to start,” he said.
Krishmu Shipmon, protective services unit supervisor, said the woman’s case was referred to the agency by someone who was concerned about her — and who said no one was caring for her.
Under law, the agency must investigate cases that are emergencies within 24 hours and non-emergencies within three days.
Upon checking on a referral, a social worker checks to see if an elderly person has heat, shelter and food.
“So many seniors are saving for a rainy day, and they don’t know it’s raining in their own homes right now,” Shipmon said.
The social worker was trying to persuade the woman to see a doctor, but she wouldn’t agree.
Shipmon said it’s important for people who believe an elderly person is a victim of abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation to contact the agency. The number is (330) 884-6952.
For Trumbull County, the number is (330) 392-3248 and for Columbiana, it’s (330) 424-1471.
Lisa Solley, a spokeswoman for the District XI Area Agency on Aging, said it’s OK to be a nosy neighbor.
“We’ve really lost the ability to be a good neighbor,” she said.
People who live in neighborhoods with elderly people and are concerned about their welfare should check on them, stop by and see if they need anything, Solley said.
Mail or newspapers piling up is a sign of a problem, as is a lack of footsteps or tire tracks in the snow.
“If someone is concerned about a person’s safety, they should call their local police department or 911, and they’ll do a safety check,” Solley said.
People also need to call 211 if they suspect a neighbor needs help. People answering the phone at 211 can refer situations to APS or other appropriate authority immediately, she said.
“It’s really important for people to start using 211 for information and referral just like they use 911 in an emergency,” Solley said.
One problem is that APS is an unfunded mandate in Ohio. All of the state’s 88 counties share $500,000 in state funding for the service, she said.
Comments
At least they found this senior citizen before she froze to death. But, people don't just need their neighbors in the winter; good neighbors are year-round.
That's terrible, but the woman was very fortunate. Most 91 year olds probably would not survive that situation.
Depending on the outcome as to why his event happened, I think it might be a good idea for this woman to be assessed for senior care. She most definitely should not be living on her own without any assistance.
Very sad to hear things like this. It also hurts to know over 57 people died in TN, KY ice storm from carbon monoxide and hypothermia. Due to power outages, some thing a lot of us experienced this fall. So imagine how that feels in the dead of winter.
Indeed things turned out well for this woman and she was fortunate to receive rescue and help.
However, often they do not. Often people are "rescued" by the system and the system then turns on them via guardianship/conservatorship.
Guardianship wards are stripped of all rights: the right to decide where to live and whom to associate with, how to spend (or save!) ones own money, to accept or refuse medical treatment -- or even ask for a second opinion, marry, vote, etc. Most important, wards are stripped of the right to complain.
With the fox guarding the henhouse and the hens muzzled, guardians and their attorneys can easily unjustly enrich themselves at the expense and to the detriment of the very person they have been court-appointed to protect.
And where to the victims go for help? Many go to the AG, only to be turned away because the abuse has been court-sanctioned.
Visit NASGA at StopGuardianAbuse.org or NASGA’s blog at http://NASGA-StopGuardianAbuse.blogsp... for more information.
Yours,
Elaine Renoire
NASGA
One thing I'd have liked to have seen in the story is WHY the heat was off? Was there a malfunction in the heating unit? Was the woman suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's? Could she not afford the heating oil/gas bill? It doesn't matter to the outcome, which, in this case is that the woman got help. But it might give insight on how the situation came to be in the first place.
In response to the questions posed by NoBS, there definitely was a malfunction in the trailer's heating unit. The person has severe dementia and has been being checked on daily to ensure their safety in their home until other arrangenments that had been set in motion were finalized. There were absolutely no monitary concerns, she could certainly afford the heating oil. There is also much more to this story then is being read in this article.
Senior, thanks for clearing that up for us, since we can't rely on our local newspaper to do so.
What is sadd is that all Gov. offices are set at 68 degrees or above which all taxpayers pay for ...but the ones that need the help the most freezeeeee to death , then and only then someone seems concerened . Luck in this case someone steped up to the plate and took action ..kudos to them ....I only wish there were more citizens like them .... keep YOUR EYES OPEN ....!!!
Why didn't the Vidy follow up and find out why the heat was off? A good reporter would want to know.
Exactly, if the 'protective' agency was looking into the case since December, why the hell did they wait until she was 'freezing', dehydrated, and disoriented before they turned the heat back on? This would be a HUGE savings to taxpayers instead of waiting until she needed medical care in a hospital and then place her in a nursing home........DUH! These Agencies have NO common sense and NO accountability to the taxpayer for WASTING taxpayer dollars. Do you think anyone wants to be WAREHOUSE in a long term care facility awaiting DEATH from neglect, abuse and injury if they could stay in their own home. So put some in home care dollars and heat into her home.........it would be cheaper, this elderly person would be better cared for and be happier.
STUPID Government waste!
Senioradvocate - thanks for the information! I'll bet there's more to the story than appeared in the paper! That's why I asked my questions - those are the first things that the story was lacking. And now that I know a little of the woman's medical situation, I see some 'spinning' going on in the story, too. Reports that the woman was disoriented, and unable to remember things, for example. Hello? She has Alzheimers!!
I see one brief mention of "ambulance personnel" attending to the woman, but I know that in Boardman, the FD responds to all medical calls. No mention of them. I could almost believe someone handed the reporter a press release, which the reporter submitted verbatim for publication. There's very little about the actual incident in the story. There was much more to it, apparently, that should have been reported. All the info and phone numbers and such should have been in their own story, perhaps as a sidebar to this story. That way, the Adult Protective Services worker, who is also barely mentioned, could have been recognized as quite probably saving the woman's life.
"The agency has been checking on the woman since December"
this is extremely troubling if, as Senior says, they are checked on daily. Why wasn't something done to either correct the malfunction in the heater or get her temporary heat/shelter? The pop didn't freeze overnight people.
Either the agency dropped the ball on this poor lady or she wasn't checked on regularly as it would seem.
Not that it will make a difference, but it would be nice for the Vindy to do some digging and see why this poor woman was not checked on regularly-especially when the tempature has been as cold as it has been this winter.
scrooge, when was the last time you put a can of pop in the freezer? It will freeze and explode within 12hrs. They could have been checking on the poor lady every day but did not know there was a problem with the heater until it went out. Also it does not mean she had alzheimers just because she was disoriented and forgetful the poor thing was frozen hypothermia will cause disorientation. everyone wants to get on the bandwagon and blame everyone else but how many walk past poor homeless, needy people all the time and do nothing?
Lack of family concern? No family? The economic depression....how about the fact that people just don't care anymore...including the oil companies that heat these homes. Martin's should be shut down and moved out anyways. Its nasty and gross. My heart goes out to her .....It just pizzez me off!