Very Sad Story

[ducklite]

DH had a rescue squad call last night. A person had a heart attack, collapsed, and died. When they arrived the person was on the "floor" of the living room. The living room was so covered with garbage, including used adult diapers, bottles of urine (the person was so obese that they were no longer able to get to the toilet) and fast food wrappers that they had to use a snow shovel to dig a path for the EMT's and medics to get in to try to revive the person and ultimately bring them out. (It took 10 strong men to do this--the first police officer that responded literally ripped the door off the hinges to make the doorway wider.) The "floor" the person was on was actually a foot or more of garbage.

It's sad that this person abused their body with food the same way that a drug addict abuses their body with drugs--to the point that they are dead.

But even sadder is that no one they knew called DYFS to make a report on the conditions of this persons home and health. DYFS would have been able to provide services to them to allow them to live like a human, with dignity, rather than like an animal. The police made a report to DYFS last night. They were really upset that no one ever made an attempt to help this person until it was too late.

Anne

 

[DawnCt1]

That is sad. This man, and many like him who find themselves in those situations, had to get there with help. Someone brings them food and feeds them.

 

[Serena]

There are so many questions about how someone gets like this and how people who love them let them get like this.

 

[ducklite]

That is sad. This man, and many like him who find themselves in those situations, had to get there with help. Someone brings them food and feeds them.

Exactly! I wonder if they can bring charges of some type against those who facilitated the mans demise? Then again I'm not sure that's going to do any good--it certainly won't bring them back. Maybe some sort of mandatory counseling program for them?

Anne

 

[MushyMushy]

I always feel so horrible for people who live in squalor like that. No normal person gets that way -- they obviously need serious help, but then when the media gets hold of it, they're like a bunch of jackals, which makes it so much worse for the person.

 

[ducklite]

I always feel so horrible for people who live in squalor like that. No normal person gets that way -- they obviously need serious help, but then when the media gets hold of it, they're like a bunch of jackals, which makes it so much worse for the person.

So far I don't think this one has been picked up by the media. I've obviously left the details as to the location of this mans home out for just that reason. Obviously DH didn't tell me his name or the exact location, just the general neighborhood. DH doesn't ever compromise a patients privacy when he tells me about his calls--unless it's all over the news--and even then he's careful to not cross the line. I'm sure that there's a lot of stuff he hasn't told me about, and of course I'm fine with that.

Anne

 

[Forevryoung]

*sigh* DBF and I have had our share over the years riding the ambulance... My area has the "cat house" about 40 cats, smells horrible (cat pee, cat food, and garbage), garbage all over the place, husband is medically compromised and nearly bedridden at this point and the wife takes care of him although she is pretty much unable to (older couple).

We are at their house every two months or so, send in the appropriate paperwork, make some phone calls and still nothing has been done

so sad indeed

 

[luv2nascar]

you know though much like the drug or alcohol addict you can't help them if they don't want help. Family and friends are enablers just like drug addict family and friends but you have to want help. God bless him and his family. What a sad story.

 

[MushyMushy]

So far I don't think this one has been picked up by the media. I've obviously left the details as to the location of this mans home out for just that reason. Obviously DH didn't tell me his name or the exact location, just the general neighborhood. DH doesn't ever compromise a patients privacy when he tells me about his calls--unless it's all over the news--and even then he's careful to not cross the line. I'm sure that there's a lot of stuff he hasn't told me about, and of course I'm fine with that.

Anne

Ah, that's probably good for the guy's family. I know around here, that stuff always makes the news.

I don't know how I feel about family members enabling people like that. Couldn't the guy be getting his food through delivery? We have a similar (although not nearly that bad) problem with my mother. She's morbidly obese and in extremely ill health with diabetes and all sorts of other problems. She nearly died a couple of years ago, and that illness made her practically homebound. She'd started to do rehab and lose weight, but just gave up on it. My dad tries his best to take care of her, but she still just eats and eats and eats -- then it doesn't help when my uncle constantly brings her cakes, pies, and cookies. Their house could EASILY go the way of the guy in your OP. My sister and I spent an entire day trying to clean out one bedroom in their house -- without throwing anything away per my mother's orders -- and within just a few weeks, my dad had it even messier than before. She won't let us bring in any help whatsoever and it's just a big mess. When they pass, we're going to have such a disaster on our hands.

Anyway, didn't mean to go off on that tangent -- it's just that I can see in a way how things can come to that point.

 

[SweetSpellsSweetie]

Working at the hopital, I have seen a few sitations like this before. Most of the time they won't take help because they are so embarrassed about how they are living. They don't understand that the agencies and people that can help them are not going to judge them.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I have seen some super-obese people on TLC. Food can be used as a drug just like a drug can be used. What pain these people must suffer. First, they eat to forget and then they have to deal with the consequences of their choice. Very sad, indeed.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I've seen shows about morbidly obese people on the Discovery Health Channel, where people weigh hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

There was one man who lived with family and they tried to get him to eat less, but he would call and order delivery then lower a bucket with money in it from the window in his bedroom and the delivery person would put the food into the bucket and the man would bring it back up through the window.

So, would the delivery people be enablers as well as the family members?

I really don't feel any blame should be put on the family. The obese person needs to WANT help, before anyone can give help.

 

[Freyja]

Very sad. But I guess you can´t help someone who doesn´t want help. However, I think we´ll never know the whole story here. But it certainly is tragic.

 

[tiggersmom2]

So sad.....

 

[ducklite]

Haven't heard anything more on that, but DH had three more calls to the same neighborhood in the past 24 hours. Oy!

One was a guy who drank a quart of whiskey and was more than abit beligerent--DH "forgot" that his hands were under the blankets when he strapped him down tight onto the gurney. There were no available police officers to ride with the transport, so they called one of the other EMT's who's about 6'3 and 350--the guy says "boo!" and people cower--and he drove over and rode in the back of the rig. DH was not going to ride back there alone with the guy--even though he was strapped down he could have worked himself loose.

And then their most frequent of frequent fliers (Oxycodone addict with non-specific pain ), and a kid with a febrile seizure were the other two.

Anne

 

[tkd lisa]

My cousin could easily end up like the man in this story. He's 40 years old, and well over 500 pounds. He just spent two months in either the hospital or a rehab center (moved back and forth a couple of times), trying to get a leg injury to heal.

My aunt and uncle (his parents), are in poor health themselves, and can't take care of his apartment. They do basically badger him to keep it livable. They also try to keep his diet in check. Honestly the only reason he's not bigger is because he doesn't have the money to eat the way he would like.

It is truly sad, but no one can make him stop. And I guess I don't think he can stop on his own. His most recent doctor threatened to stop seeing him because my cousin wasn't taking his medicines, following his diet, or the nurses instructions, even in the HOSPITAL!

 

[HOGFAN]

ok, I have an elderly aunt who is a hoarder. She would have tiny paths to the bathroom, to the kitchen. Half of her bed was covered with junk,sheets hadnt been changed in YEARS. some of the rooms in her house hadnt been seen in years, full of junk, the door closed, junk piled in front of the doors to the ceiling. A couple of years ago she fell down and was stranded in the house for 3 days. Rats chewed on her legs. A neighbor noticed she hadnt seen her in a few days and called the police. The EMTs had to wrap her in a sheet to get her out as they couldnt even get a stretcher in the door because of all the junk. She is now in a nursing home. She tries to hoard there but the staff is very good about thowing some junk out.
We ignored her problem for years. Why? I dont know, she had 8 brothers and sisters. She had been hoarding for over 50 years(she is 93). I dont think her siblings knew about 'interventions' or counseling. Or maybe it was just easier to ignore the problem.

 

[DMRick]

Do rescue squads not have to go by the HIPAA laws? Or doesn't this fall under those laws? I just wondered since this was shared by your husband to you. I know that visiting nurses are not allowed to share this type of info, except to another medical organization, or Social Services...and even that is limited.

DH had a rescue squad call last night. A 32 year old man had a heart attack, collapsed, and died. When they arrived the man was on the "floor" of the living room. The living room was so covered with garbage, including used adult diapers, bottles of urine (the man was so obese that he was no longer able to get to the toilet) and fast food wrappers that they had to use a snow shovel to dig a path for the EMT's and medics to get in to try to revive him and ultimately bring him out. (It took 10 strong men to do this--the first police officer that responded literally ripped the door off the hinges to make the doorway wider.) The "floor" the man was on was actually a foot or more of garbage.

It's sad that this man abused his body with food the same way that a drug addict abuses his body with drugs--to the point that he's dead at 32.


Anne

 

[ducklite]

Do rescue squads not have to go by the HIPAA laws? Or doesn't this fall under those laws? I just wondered since this was shared by your husband to you. I know that visiting nurses are not allowed to share this type of info, except to another medical organization, or Social Services...and even that is limited.

He gives me no identifying details, so it's not a breach of confidentiality. Like I said, I know the general neighborhood only because it's a fairly rural area and there just aren't that many neighborhoods to begin with. It's no different than writing up a case study for a medical journal--which anyone can go to any major library and read. Pretty much anything he tells me can be gotten over the scanner or would be released to the press. If anything, the press might even get more details.

If what he tells me is a violation of HIPAA, then this entire web site (which has a lot more details than I do) is in violation: http://www.1stresponder.com/

Anne

 

[4nana]

You're right, how very very sad.