Trends in Long-Term Care - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

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time, and you testified you knew the condition of the Towers by heart,
is that substantially correct?
Ms. HOPPER. What I meant to say, it is a very complicated home to
go to. It had been the older Memorial Hospital, and put it together, I
could walk around, I could visualize just where each part was.
Mr. HALAMANDARIS. Were you there often?
Ms. HOPPER. That is what I meant. I was there often, long enough
to get to know where the places were.
Mr. HALAMNANDARIS. Were you there at the <strong>in</strong>terim <strong>in</strong> which the
home was without heat?
Ms. HOPPER. I was-at the <strong>in</strong>terim. I was a little upset about it. I
did not have too much authority at that time, but I did go down to see
it, and made this report, with Dr. Bower, who is my superior.
Mr. HALAMANDARIS. It is then a matter of record there was not hot
water for purposes of wash<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>en or for wash<strong>in</strong>g dishes?
Ms. HOPPER. There was no hot water and no heat. Actually there was
some. What had happened was, we had been <strong>in</strong>formed that they were
supposed to transfer, and they built a boiler <strong>in</strong> another build<strong>in</strong>g, and
they were supposed to put the new build<strong>in</strong>g up, and get it function<strong>in</strong>g
before they cut the heat off from the oil boilers, but <strong>in</strong>stead
of do<strong>in</strong>g that, they used parts of the old boiler to fix the new one.
They got the new one <strong>in</strong>, and it would not work properly, it did not
heat the rear portion of the build<strong>in</strong>g. The front portion had some
heat <strong>in</strong> the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g, that is where they transferred the patients,
from the back portion to the front, but when they did, then they kept
los<strong>in</strong>g more and more heat <strong>in</strong> the front, and even then the front was
cold.
It was 50 to 60 degrees on some floors, one floor it was below 50, and
one went to 40.
Mr. FIALAMIANI)ARIS. All right. Let me follow up with this question.
What could be the significance of not wash<strong>in</strong>g either the l<strong>in</strong>ens,
clothes, or dishes <strong>in</strong> the water which was of a certa<strong>in</strong> temperature?
Ms. HOPPER. If you had soiled l<strong>in</strong>en, there was not too much of that,
but if you had soiled l<strong>in</strong>en, and you did not wash it <strong>in</strong> warni water, it
would not be property sterilized, and any bacteria would be transmitted
to another patient, the same with cups and saucers, a dishwwasher
that was not functionilg, it was like us<strong>in</strong>g another person's dirty
dishes.
It would have the food off of it, but it would not be clean.
MrI. HALA-MANDAnlS. All right.. My last question is this.
Dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>terlim <strong>in</strong> which the Towers Nurs<strong>in</strong>g Home went 5 days
without heat, was Dr. Bernard Bergman personally on the scene?
Ms. HoPriE. He came there while I was there.
Mr. H.FALAIWfANDARIs. Did lie take personal responsibility for the conditions,
did lhe suggest that th<strong>in</strong>gs would be changed?
NIs. HOPPER. He told me that th<strong>in</strong>gs would be changed, lie would
br<strong>in</strong>g 100 blankets over-I doubted that would be enough-from the
new nurs<strong>in</strong>g homne, Park Crescent, which had not been opened.
Rabbi Berg-<strong>in</strong>an is the husband of the licensee, but any time I went
to the Towers, he appeared soon after I did.
Mr. HAIALA3ANDARIS. Did he act as a reasonable man under those
circumstances own<strong>in</strong>g a nurs<strong>in</strong>g home, or hav<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> a nurs<strong>in</strong>g
home?