IL - Jaylen Brown, 13, disabled, dies of neglect, Chicago, 15 May 2008

[southcitymom]

My grandma laid in bed for 5 years before her death and with great care from relatives and hospice she rarely got bedsores and those she did get were treated quickly. She never once had a major infection from them and she was unable to move at all.

I cannot think of any excuse for this besides laziness.

How do you explain away crumsnatcher's observations of terrible bedsores that afflicted those who received daily care by competent staff? Why could that not have been the case with this boy?

 

[angela]

I am a nurse and I agree with crumsnatcher. Bedsores are very difficult to treat. I do have one issue with this story. I think the nurses did have a responsibility to encourage these parents to take this child to a doctor when the bedsores worsened or werent responding to a treatment that had been prescribed. If the parents refused, then, in my opinion, that is abuse and should have been reported to the authorities. There are always new medications and treatments put on the market to treat these things. If one treatment doesn't work, try another one.

 

[crumbsnatcher]

I think the nurses did have a responsibility to encourage these parents to take this child to a doctor when the bedsores worsened or werent responding to a treatment that had been prescribed. If the parents refused, then, in my opinion, that is abuse and should have been reported to the authorities.

I do agree with this. The responsibility ultimately falls on the nurses - I would like to know if these nurses were at least in touch with the doc by phone, what their current orders were, and exactly how the sores were being treated. I'd also be interested in what was charted during the 'sporadic' hospital visits, and the state of the decubes (if present), at those visits.

 

[pixies]

How do you explain away crumsnatcher's observations of terrible bedsores that afflicted those who received daily care by competent staff? Why could that not have been the case with this boy?

Maybe they are not so "competent"?

*shrugs*

I just know in my case where I have cared for many sick family members, bed sores were never a problem when attentive care was given.

I guess it is what you consider "competent" to mean.

Also, I believe this "mother" should have taken better care of her son regardless of nurses.

 

[ckhagen]

My dad used to specialize in selling wound care treatments... everything from the supplies to treat them to beds that cost 10's of thousands of dollars and amazingly new types of bandaging. He would be the first to say that there are some bed sores that just are nearly impossible to fix and that no matter how much prevention you do (even those special beds he sold), for some people it's just inevitable. It doesn't have as much to do with lying in bed as it does the PERSON who is lying in bed and everyone is different.

In my grandfathers last months, even with all of my dads knowledge on the subject and my dads nearly constant care and instruction to the nurses, he still got miserably huge bedsores that were very difficult to treat. Sad but true

It's possible that more could have been done for this child, anything is possible. But sometimes I think police are quick to jump on neglect charges when they don't understand a situation like this. So I'll definitely reserve judgement for now.

 

[ckhagen]

Btw, I knew a young paraplegic who died from sores that became septic. She had great care and was even able to care for herself a lot, but recurrent sores were a major problem for her. Eventually she got one that got so badly infected that it was too late and she ended up septic.

 

[lorelei]

The Chicago Tribune had a front page update on this story today.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...neglect-death-22-may22,0,6874643.story?page=1
quote
"When the boy with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and severe scoliosis was brought to a hospital March 17, he had ulcers on his shoulder, ear, legs and hand. The ulcer on his lower back was a crater, seeping pus. A black, crusted patch dotted his tongue. His fingernails had grown long and dirty. His skin was flaky, and his hair was matted.

"The level of neglect is some of the most severe we have seen," a University of Chicago doctor noted."

Also, the article says that he didn't have a wheelchair or braces (his mother didn't ever bring him in for the appt to receive his wheelchair), also that "she hadn't bathed him in over a year or seen him without clothes on", that she was supposed to feed him his last daily 'meal' of formula and told docs she did, then admitted the nurses were the only people who fed him. I guess that explains how he lost 20 lbs in 2 years.

:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar:behindbar
The nurses were mandated child abuse/neglect reporters.

 

[philamena]

oh my gosh!
That poor young man was terribly neglected.
Makes me so sick, this should have never happened.
Thanks for the update lore.

 

[Taximom]

That is really, really sad. Why didn't the docs/hospital call CPS and the cops??

 

[BeavisMom62]

How horrible, just terrible. Poor little boy. I used to work as an aide at a nursing home right out of high school (oh so many years ago!) and I agree with crumbs. We took care of the bedbound patients, turning them and massaging them and keeping them clean. Some never had decubiti, others would. I'll never in my life forget this one patient that came to us (from neglect, who'da thunk it?) from another nursing home. And she had bone deep sores all along her spine, TO THE SPINE. It was horrible, she had to be propped on her sides constantly to get light therapy for the sores. Poor woman.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I don't understand hoiw nurses could come there everyday and not see a problem? They are every bit as guilty as the mother IMO. perhaps more because they were trained and paid to do a job. They are also mandated reporters.

I just don't get it

 

[curiositycat]

How sad is this??? There must be a special place in heaven for these poor little angels that folks mistreat!

 

[blaize]

Poor poor baby. How was this allowed to happen with two nurses taking 'care' of the little chap?

 

[Txmom]

Those women are so lucky that they didnt live in our town, and unfortunately the patient loses once again. The wound care Dr here would have turned them in way long ago for neglect. He really cares about the care given to the old and disabled and has caused the nursing homes, and caregivers here to take notice that someone is watching them.

 

[pedinurse]

Makes me SICK!
Poor nutrition is a huge factor in healing and breakdown as well (I didn't see this noted... good discussion). Someone said he wasn't getting all his feedings. So that can be linked as well. But... in the end. If he wasn't getting any better and he was having worsening decubs, they should gotten him treatment, as we KNOW that these wounds can cause septic effects.

pedinurse

 

[Belinda]

A Cook County judge acquitted a mother and a home health care nurse today of felony neglect charges in connection to the death of a severely disabled 13-year-old boy.

In the fifth day of a bench trial, Judge James B. Linn found Kesheia Phillips and nurse Loren Brown not guilty of criminal abuse or neglect of a child causing death in the 2008 death of Jaylen Brown, but did convict Phillips, the boy’s mother, of misdemeanor child neglect.

snip

The second nurse, Morris Lee Brinkley, 75, pleaded guilty last summer to criminal neglect of a disabled person and failing to report neglect or abuse and was sentenced to 2 years of probation and 60 days of community service by Linn.

More at link:
http://chicagopressrelease.com/press-releases/mom-nurse-acquitted-of-felony-neglect-in-boys-death

:furious::furious::furious::furious:

 

[Kandi372s]

I do not understand how this could have happened. I have a five year old that has cerebal palsy and in a wheelchair, a tracheostomy, and developmentally disabled. I also have two other children to care for. When I look at my son I wonder how someone was able to treat that little boy like that. My son is my life. Some days I live to take care of him and find ways to make his life as best as it can be since he can not do it on his own. He does not have the option to get up in the morning and eat or turn on tv ect. he has to wait on us to help him and I love helping him as does his brother and sister and dad. We are continually moving him from his wheelchair to bath chair to activity chair and if we eat something he eats to. I feel guilty if he watches tv for more than an hour and I havent done anything for him. How can a mom neglect any child and especially a child that can not do for themselves. I don't get it.

 

[Belinda]

I have to say I was completely incredulous when I read that they were acquitted. There was so much evidence here and one of the caretakers pleaded guilty. I just don't understand. The horrifying neglect was totally obvious. What is wrong with people?