PA - Elaine Latshaw, 77, dies of extreme neglect, Mahanoy City, 14 Aug 2015 *Arrests*

[whonos]

If they brought her home a year ago and she stopped eating at that time, assuming she was well taken care of in the nursing facility, then how did the gangrene happen? I understand that bedsores can happen quickly, but gangrene? I thought that if you stopped taking food and water, especially water, that you died fairly soon. In a few weeks? I actually do not know. Does anyone wonder about the time sequence?
It is an ethical and philosophical problem. I would never force someone to eat or drink, but I do not think anyone would refuse to be cleaned and turned to prevent bedsores. And bed baths. Clean sheets. Soft music. Death is not bad, but there are bad deaths

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

According to this article, her husband died in 2012. The great son removed her from the nursing home that she was in in 2014 citing he "didn't like the care she was receiving, and it was too expensive." Well buddy, I'm sure the care she received there would have been 100000% better than being left to rot at home in a bed, covered with human waste, blood and bed sores. Maybe she was happy in the nursing home? Maybe being brought home and thrown into a new environment where she was neglected caused her to feel helpless and depressed? Did she REALLY refuse to be seen by a doctor for that year she was living in Son's home? That's what he claims, but was it true? Unfortunately his dear Mother isn't around to confirm or deny. Did she beg to just be left to die so that she could be with her husband or is that merely what son and girlfriend claim? I fully agree that nobody should be forced to eat or drink if it's their wish to die....but they should at least be assessed first by a doctor, assessed for severe depression that often can be treated with appropriate medication. Untreated depression can certainly cause an elderly person to just give up hope. And was this woman of sound mind when she allegedly requested not to be seen by doctors or be fed/hydrated? Sorry but it sounds to me like it was really all just about money. Assuming if son claimed that nursing home was 'too expensive' that he was paying for all or part of it. So be removing her that was money in his pocket, not to mention the $1200 month he got from her SS checks.

According to court papers, Latshaw signed his mother out of a nursing home in 2014. He says he didn’t like the way she was being treated and how expensive it was. Latshaw and Robinson collected about $1,200 a month from Elaine Latshaw’s social security. They maintain they tried to help Elaine Latshaw, but she refused, wanting only to be with her husband who died in 2012.

http://wnep.com/2016/08/19/elder-abuse-or-respecting-last-wishes/

In this article, the son's wretched girlfriend clearly told police an outright lie......that Mom had only been dead for a half hour before ambulance was called, and that Mom had eaten breakfast at 4am. Are you kidding? Police reported that Mom's body was cold to the touch when they arrived. A body doesn't go cold in 30 minutes so she outright lied.

Police found Elaine Latshaw in an upstairs bedroom soiled in feces and urine, pulse-less and was cold to the touch. At this time, Police believed that the woman had been dead for several hours.

During Deputy Coroner David Truskowsky's examination of Elaine Latshaw it was found that she had excessive bed sores that had gone untreated on her back and buttocks and also on her feet.

Police then began to question Robinson and Latshaw on the events that led up to calling 911.

Robinson told Police that she was the primary care giver for Elaine Latshaw, and that she just checked on her a half hour prior to calling 911 in which Elaine Latshaw was alive. Robinson also told Police that 4:00am with Elaine and that she ate breakfast that morning about 3 hours prior.

http://www.skooknews.com/2016/08/womans-death-considered-case-of-of.html

This is just repulsive and heartbreaking. I have more to say but it would be against the TOS of this site.

 

[1&2&3]

So many missing pieces here. Why did this woman not have the home visiting nurses? She must not have been under a doctor's care and was not on any medications. Why did neighbors not visit her or call to report concern on her care?

In reality, it sounds to me like this son did not want to spend his mom's SS check on nursing home care. What parent doesn't complain about being in a nursing home and wanting to go home? I am guessing the son lived in his mom's house, which was probably paid for, so the $1,200. SS check was free money in his pocket.

Assuming he lived in Mom's house, he probably didn't know Medicaid and Social Security rules. Therefore, his greed cost his mother a horrendous death and he and his girlfriend a jail sentence. Ignorance is not bliss, find out what your rights are to avoid a scenario like this!