July 24, 1999
Autumnwood accused of patient abuse
By Erik Burriss
Staff Writer
A Tiffin woman is planning on suing the Volunteers of America, the organization that owns Autumnwood Care Center, over what she calls abuse of a 71-year-old Alzheimer's patient.
Patty Lonsbury said her father, Oliver Bryant, who is a patient at Autumnwood, has been abused repeatedly by staff members. She said must wait for a report from an Ohio Board of Health inquiry into the matter, due out in the next 10 to 20 days, before filing a suit.
Lonsbury is claiming that Bryant, who occasionally has violent episodes, has been restrained with unnecessary force on several occasions.
"Every week when I go in there he's got new bruises on him," Lonsbury said.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include impairment of judgment, disorientation and personality changes as well as memory loss.
During her last visit, Lonsbury said she noticed a bruises in the shape of fingers on her father's left arm. She also said her father had earlier suffered a broken rib, which the staff at Autumnwood could not explain, and has been repeatedly tied down.
Lonsbury also accuses the administrators of Autumnwood of telling employees to lie to the Ohio Board of Health when they inspected the facility earlier this week and of denying her access to her father's medical records, which she said she should have since she is Bryant's legal guardian.
Lonsbury said she has retained Toledo malpractice attorney Jim Caruso.
Sally Turner, Autumnwood's administrator could not be reached for comment.