Report: Maggots found in feeding tube at nursing home

UPPER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Troubles have been reported at a West Shore nursing home since last year, but now there are reports that maggots were found in a patient's feeding tube.
The information comes from Medicare.gov.

This facility and over 20 other Golden LivingCenters in Pennsylvania have been under fire by the Attorney General's office which filed suit this summer.

This inspection of this center is from October 22 and it indicates very important issues were identified.

The inspection report says maggots were found in a patient's feeding tube, with the nurse reporting "worm like bugs found crawling all around the PEG tube and surrounding tissue."

The report also says feeding tubes were not changed as required, improper pest control was discovered, and improper hydration of patients was found. Those are just a few of the 31 deficiencies reported by inspectors on October 22, according to Medicare.gov.

Other Golden LivingCenters in the area are receiving a below average rating from that reporting site.
Back in September, the Attorney General's Office filed a suit against the nursing home organization, a suit that includes over 20 of their facilities.

Thursday a spokesperson from the AG's office wrote the following in an email:

Hundreds of complaints that have been made to our office since the announcement of the lawsuit have reaffirmed our position that pervasive issues exist in Golden Living facilities. We believe this is a very critical consumer protection case and we are committed to seeing it through.

The following is a response from a spokesperson for the nursing home organization:

We take the care and quality of life of our patients and residents very seriously. We work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which inspects our facility regularly and whenever we or someone else raises concerns, to help ensure compliance with the detailed regulations under which we operate. In fact, we self-reported several of the issues you have noted, including the patient who has a feeding tube. This patient wanted to enjoy iced tea on our porch outside on a hot day, and when she was brought back in the building, we saw the insect and not only cleared the feeding tube but also self-reported the incident to the Department of Health. Last Fall, many homes and businesses in our area - including ours - saw drain flies in the kitchen. To address this, we increased our pest control service from once a month to once weekly to properly exterminate them. After an onsite survey visit from the Department of Health on October 22 last year related to these incidents, we submitted a detailed written plan of correction for these incidents. On December 30, the Department of Health came back in the building and certified that we were in compliance. Golden LivingCenter West Shore has been and will continue to focus on providing the highest quality care to our patients and residents, including identifying and correcting problems that may develop despite our best efforts.

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Report: Maggots found in feeding tube at nursing home