911 Call Reveals Shocking Indifference to Dying Assisted Living Resident

The 911 call says it all. “I understand if your boss is telling you you can’t do it,” the dispatcher said. “But … as a human being … you know … is there anybody that’s willing to help this lady and not let her die?”

“Not at this time,” the nurse answered.

The recorded call with emergency services in California this past weekend reveals a shocking indifference to an elderly resident at the Glenwood Gardens retirement facility.  Similar facilities are known as Assisted Living Facilities or ALFs in Florida.  Unlike nursing homes, ALF facilities are intended for more independent residents and do not have registered nurses on staff.  Nursing care  for those who need it (such as residents with bed sores or pressure ulcers, diabetes, and other conditions requiring skilled nurses) is offered through third-party providers, who may only visit the facility one to three times per week.

Some residents in ALFs and nursing homes may obtain a Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) from their doctors, indicating their desire not to receive emergency life-saving treatment such as CPR.  In such cases, the facility staff and emergency responders must abide by such orders.

In the case of Lorraine Bayless, the 87-year-old Glenwood Gardens resident, she did not have a DNR order in place, thereby making the facility nurse’s refusal to assist her all the more perplexing and disturbing.  In many cases where a person stops breathing, time is of the essence, and permanent brain damage may result from as few as 4 minutes of oxygen deprivation.  It is therefore critical for the staff at such facilities to begin CPR immediately rather than wait for emergency responders to arrive, which may take 10 minutes or more.