this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
184 points (98.4% liked)

News

23397 readers
3633 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

The abrupt shutdown of Northview Village Nursing Home on Friday came after workers learned they might not be paid and walked out, confusing residents and their relatives. Many family members gathered through the day Saturday outside the facility on the city’s north side. Some didn’t immediately know where their loved ones were taken.

Alvin Cooper of East St. Louis, Illinois, was preparing Monday to fill out a missing person’s report on his 35-year-old son. Alvin Cooper Jr. has lived at Northview Village for several months while recovering from a gunshot wound to the head and a drug addiction.

“They don’t know where he is,” Alvin Cooper said. “I’ve burnt two tanks of gas going back and forth to that nursing home trying to find out what’s going on. I don’t know if he’s somewhere safe or what’s going to happen to him.”

The difficulties started Friday when, according to the union representing workers, more than 130 people went unpaid, and it became unclear if their checks would be forthcoming.

Northview Village has been fined 12 times for federal violations since March 2021, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Fines totaled over $140,000 and ranged from $2,200 to more than $45,000. The federal agency gives Northview a one-star rating out of a possible five, but doesn’t spell out reasons for the fines.

In addition, the state health department website lists nearly two dozen Northview investigations since 2016. The most recent complaint, from February, said a resident was able to get out of the building through an unsecured door. A 2021 complaint alleged the facility failed to investigate allegations that residents left the nursing home and brought drugs into it.

top 18 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 88 points 11 months ago (5 children)

So the CEO evicted a bunch of medically vulnerable seniors with no notice, then robbed dozens of workers of their pay right before Christmas.

How is this guy free to walk the streets?

[–] pelespirit 59 points 11 months ago

And how are the workers being kind of blamed for everything, not him.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Money-based penalties only keep poor people from stepping out of line; if you're rich enough, you can literally pay for what you did and move on.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not if the money-based penalties scales with your net worth.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago

They never seem to do that. It's always a fine that would be ruinous for most, but a slap on the wrist for the people actually committing the crimes.

[–] AThing4String 5 points 11 months ago

Yeah those fines were a joke. $140k over two years for a place that likely charges that much per year for each of its 170 residents? They don't care.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago

If the system isn't going to take care of him the workers should. This is a situation that calls for a bucket of hot tar and a big bag of feathers.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

'murica. Money = freedom. The more money you have, the more freedoms you have.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

MURICA FUCK YEA

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Because nobody will post his address.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Buckle up boomers. The economy you created won't spare you either. You will begin to see more and more nursing homes go under as the cost of care skyrockets and not enough younger people willing to get into medical care because of the low pay and brutal hours/working conditions. We already have an elderly care shortfall in some areas but it'll be unimaginable in 10 to 20 years as the youngest baby boomers are 59. About 70 million boomers are entering into late stages of life with no one to care for them due to money.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I just turned fifty. I'm expecting to receive a "reverse life mortgage" from Soylent Corporation before the end.

"Here's eight thousand bucks. Go have fun. Take a vacation. We get your corneas, liver and kidneys on the first of the month."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

They won't have to pay you in our brave new Oligarchy. It will be mandated that all viable organs get donated to the investor class to help the economy. Those making over $500,000 a year excepted.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

oh yeah, not just boomers - there's a few of the previous generation left still. my folks (boomers) have a 102 year old neighbor, she was put in a home 10 or 15 years ago, got tired of it after a few months and drove back to her house. she fell down last week, my dad found her on the floor after a day or two, she broke a bunch of bones but didnt want to go to the hospital because "that's where people go to die". maybe she'll make it out, she's a tough lady.

we'll see a hell of a population shrinkage here in a decade or two.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Yep. My 81-year-old mother is pre-Boomer. Thankfully, she's able to live on her own with a housemate. I really don't want to see her die in a nursing home like my dad. They're miserable places. There was no choice with him because he had dementia, but I hope she will be able to live whatever is left of her life in the house she loves.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

My lovely wife works in the kitchen of a retirement home. She has watched things go down in the elderly care industry for several years now.

And you're not wrong, although I think your estimate of 10 years is too generous. Elderly people who don't have any assets like a home will naturally assume they can just stay with their kids. Except both of their adult children probably need to work. They don't have time or money to take care of Mom or Dad. They can't take them to appointments. They can't help with medication. They may not even have a space for them at home. And they certainly do not have $3,000 a month so they can put mom or dad in a nursing home.

I imagine there are many who would do their best. But then there ard those like my wife's parents, who were and still are abusive, terrible people who have burned every bridge they could, and are now having to cope with the idea that none of the family they gaslit for decades wants to help.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago

gotta pay your employees. they did the right thing by leaving. hopefully the affected families all sue whomever owned the nursing home.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I read the whole article about this case, and I know this is generally an anomalous situation. Still... The only way I'll ever go to any assisted living place is inconscious and after a fight.