MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Slumped in a chair, wearing only a pair of boxers.
That was how a surveyor with the Tennessee Department of Health said she found a resident at Golden Years Care Home.
A separate complaint took the investigator to the home for the aged in Cordova.
She noted in that report she found the resident a day prior “naked and covered in feces and urine.” That resident wound up hospitalized where workers said he was “severely malnourished.”
Those records also indicated he had lost 43 pounds in roughly a year at Golden Years, where a worker admitted to using bungee cords to keep patients from moving around.
Golden Years now sits empty after state regulators suspended its license due to multiple violations.
Poor record keeping, inadequate feeding of residents and staffing issues are just a few of the violations noted in the Order of Summary Suspension.
The document also revealed residents were forced to pay for furniture and were often examined by the administrator’s daughter, whom they thought was a nurse but in fact is not licensed.
Golden Years also had previous violations dating back a number of years.
The home first made headlines after employee Clarence Humphreys was arrested June 2 for adult abuse.
An altercation began after a resident couldn’t get to the bathroom.
According to a witness quoted in the order, Humphreys reportedly “punched” and “slammed the man’s face onto the concrete floor.”
Some of the charges were dropped. Another was downgraded, but police also discovered Humphreys had an outstanding warrant in another state.
When surveyors visited again in late July, they found more violations.
Humpreys’ replacement, James Barber, is a convicted sex offender. Registry information showed his victim was 6-years-old at the time of the crime.
Golden Years Administrator Brenda Tucker told the Board she checked the Tennessee Abuse Registry but wasn’t aware of the requirement to check other states where employees recently lived.
Tucker also denied the abuse allegations.
She said two of the patients often hurt themselves, but she denied knowing about Humphreys use of bungee cords.
WREG attempted to speak directly with Tucker, but her attorney said he wasn’t sure she wanted to talk at the time.
Golden Years has the option of requesting a formal hearing to reopen.
The home also has the responsibility of coordinating the transfer of patients to appropriate facilities.
