Assisted living growing in Wisconsin, but some say regulations not keeping up [View all]

[TexasTowelie]

When Virginia Carpenter moved into assisted living at Oak Park Place in Madison, her children thought their 88-year-old mother — who had dementia, used a wheelchair and needed help with eating, bathing, taking medications and going to the bathroom — would be safe.

But 17 days later, the former Avon lady and Sweet Adelines singer was rushed to SSM Health Emergency Center in Sun Prairie. She had such a high sodium level from dehydration and low protein level from malnutrition, a nurse called her test results “panic labs.”

Carpenter had lost 18 pounds and hadn’t had a bowel movement in a week. Dried, caked food on the top of her mouth had to be surgically removed. She had been having trouble swallowing for days, but workers at Oak Park Place delayed seeking medical help, court and state records show.

She was taken from the Sun Prairie ER to UW Hospital, then transferred to Agrace HospiceCare, where she died Feb. 18, 2012, a month after checking into assisted living.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health-med-fit/assisted-living-growing-in-wisconsin-but-some-say-regulations-not/article_c79faf0c-a0dc-5a42-96e5-f1921fcb46df.html