Retired master baker dies: Cornwall coroner says care home wasn't negligent.
(Negligent | adjective | failing to take proper care)
Concerns were raised
over rotting flesh,
an inquest heard last week
when an ambulance crew,
arriving at the scene,
became concerned
for their patient's well being.
The patient, on being
discharged from hospital,
had been relocated to
a Camborne nursing home.
Mr Reginald Stone was ninety-six
and he suffered from dementia;
he also had diabetes
and serious heart disease.
He had fallen
eight months earlier
and fractured his calf.
When the ambulance came
he was in a lot of pain
and the smell from his room
was unbearable.
He had worn his cast
for fourteen weeks.
It was leaking rotting
flesh and goo.
There were pressure sores
around his knee
but a PC found no evidence
of wrongdoing.
Still, the pathologist
went on record
expressing his surprise:
There was this smell,
he told the inquest
and nobody did anything about it.
If you smell something
you have to try
to figure [it] out.
Mr Stone's GP regretted the fact
that the smell wasn't
brought to his attention.
There was, however, no negligence,
he said. The nursing home
was treating him well.
© Abigail Wyatt, 2013
Vulnerable 96year old man found with rotting flesh in Camborne
Abigail Wyatt lives at Druids Lodge in the shadow of Carn Brea in Redruth.where she writes, mainly poetry and short fiction, and tries not to get too depressed. She is a founding member of the Red River Poetry Collective and enjoys performing her work locally. She has a fine collection of axes all of which she is much disposed to grind. Her blog is here