90-year-old dementia patient with a dead rat in his mouth.

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS STORY. READ STORY BELOW.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP A GOOD EYE ON ANYONE THAT TAKES CARE OF OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. NO MATTER IF THEY ARE OLD OR YOUNG. RAISE HELL OVER THE LITTLE THINGS BEFORE THEY GET TO THIS EXTENT.


HERE IS THE WEBPAGE I GOT IT FROM.
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1643771.php

I COPIED THE TEXT FROM THE STORY JUST IN CASE IT GETS REMOVED.

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Thursday, April 5, 2007
Suit: Rat died in man's mouth
Family sues troubled elderly facility Paragon Gardens
By JENIFER B. McKIM
The Orange County Register

A 90-year-old dementia patient was found last month alone in his room with a dead rat lodged in his mouth.

That's the latest allegation against the Paragon Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care facility for the elderly in Mission Viejo.

Attorneys for plaintiff Sigmund Bock filed suit against the facility Thursday saying staff ignored Bock's needs by allowing a rat infestation and then failed to supervise the mentally incapacitated patient.

"The defendants so literally ignored the needs of their residents, and most specifically Sigmund Bock, as to allow vermin in the form of a rat to become lodged in the mouth of Sigmund Block and die therein,'' the lawsuit read.

Nobody at Paragon was available for comment Thursday afternoon. An attorney for Paragon did not respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit comes after a series of legal troubles for the facility, operated by the privately owned Sunwest Management Inc. based in Oregon.

Last year, the state Department of Social Services sued to revoke the Mission Viejo facility's license, alleging that six clients were injured and one died after improper care at the home. The company appealed and a meeting is scheduled later this month to set a hearing date.

In January, Bock's attorney Stephen Garcia filed a class action lawsuit against Sunwest, saying the company provided substandard care that failed to comply with state law. Garcia also sued Paragon after another one of his clients Troy Nelms, a 71-year-old Alzheimer's patient, walked off the facility last year and never was found.

"I've had enough of Paragon Gardens I'm hoping to shut them down,'' said Garcia. "They lost my last client. ... We want the department to step in and do something about this case."

State officials said they couldn't comment because they are in legal proceedings.

Contact the writer: jmckim@ocregister.com or 714-796-2295