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Advocates Say Elder Abuse Must End At Arkansas Veterans Home

Fayetteville Veterans Home

Reports of neglect and inadequate care have advocacy groups deeply concerned for the safety of residents at the Fayetteville Veterans Home. 

The state already considers ailing veterans at the facility to be in “immediate jeopardy” and has submitted findings to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which could lead to fines and loss of funding. 

Martha Deaver is the president of Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents, a nonprofit organization focused on patients’ rights and reform in nursing homes across the state. She says new VA administrators need to be put in place to protect nursing home residents. 

“Are veterans in this state are not getting the care that they need in the final days of their lives,” said Deaver. “[Arkansas veterans in this facility] are still having to fight and struggle to keep from being mistreated or abused and that is unacceptable.”

The immediate jeopardy citation for the vets home means serious injury, impairment, or death occurred at the facility and immediate corrective action is needed.  

The Fayetteville Veterans Home has been cited in the past two years for many violations including: failure to treat bedsores, failure to supply enough food for veterans, significant medication errors, and a failure to do background checks on 10 employees. The most recent infraction at the facility caused a death on January 15th when a nurse, on a lunch break, did not aid a sick resident.

“The Fayetteville facility is paid for through Medicare, Medicaid, and it’s paid for through tax dollars,” Deaver said. “For this facility to continue to show a blatant disregard for the laws that are set forth to protect these nursing home residents and veterans is totally disgraceful.”  

An official from the facility did not immediately return calls for comment. 

Malcolm Glover was a news anchor/ reporter for KUAR News from 2007- 2014.