Last month, an employee at a Durham nursing home at the center of a WRAL investigation was found guilty of assaulting a resident.
After the first story aired in September, WRAL Investigates reporter Sarah Krueger spoke with more than 20 people connected to Carver Living Center who shared a variety of concerns.
Among them was the widow of a man who was assaulted by a staff member while staying at the Carver Living Center.
The man's family was concerned about his treatment at the facility, so they installed cameras in his room. There, a man identified in court records as Rodney Wynn was recorded roughly manhandling his loved one, who had been placed in a facility with dementia and broken ribs.
The video shows Wynn grabbing the patient's arm and forcing him to rotate while changing a diaper, covering the patient's head with a sheet while changing linens, and forcing the patient to the side as she clings to the bed rail. The situation is reflected.
The family pursued criminal charges. Wynn was convicted in 2022 of assaulting an individual with a disability, according to court records. He was sentenced to a minimum of 60 days in jail and one year of unsupervised probation. Wynn was instructed not to work as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) Also.
The patient's family did not want to talk about this story and asked WRAL not to identify them, but they shared the video with WRAL News in hopes it will bring about positive change at the facility.
Others wanted to speak to WRAL News about the situation at Carver Living Center, including a former manager who requested anonymity.
“This was the worst facility I've ever seen in North Carolina,” said a former manager. “They don't bathe, they don't take care of them, and the staff gets very aggressive and yells at them.”
Resident Brenda Cox said she fell in her room and was unable to get help for more than an hour.
“I scraped my arms and legs and they were bleeding,” Cox said. “I kept trying to get it. CNAI kept trying to get it. CNAno one came. ”
There were numerous complaints from others who spoke to WRAL News, including residents who said they received inedible food and experienced sexual advances from staff.
Brooke Walker, a medical professional and former nursing home worker, was shocked to see the conditions her mother was exposed to at Carver Living Center.
She said that when she visited her mother, she was covered in large amounts of urine, which soaked into the mattress and dripped onto the floor.
“For the first two days, I cried after we left because of the situation,” Walker recalled. “That's the fear when you leave a loved one in a nursing home.”
She is one of two families who told WRAL News they have filed formal complaints with the state in recent months. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has not confirmed an active investigation.
Owner of Carver Living CCH According to Healthcare's website, the company has 15 facilities in North Carolina and 16 in Ohio.
For several weeks, WRAL Investigates has not received a response from Carver's site management. CCH Medical care despite multiple attempts by phone, email, and in person.
Residents and former employees describe Carver as a “last resort” facility. Many patients cannot afford to move to other facilities, and a lack of available beds elsewhere makes it even more difficult.
More than 20 people who spoke to WRAL Investigates believe the facility needs major renovations, or worse.
“I think it needs to be shut down by the state,” the former manager said.
