Wandered away from the home
Posted by Kim on October 31st, 2005 / Print This Post
Sad. And bad…for the Union to use poor staffing as an excuse. Poor management and supervison, and a lack of policy and procedure most likely led to this event.
Roy Dolgos, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, has ordered an internal investigation into the death of a resident of the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy who wandered away from the home Thursday.“The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the staff at the Quincy home send their deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. William Gilson. We would also like to thank the volunteers, from the Quincy community and beyond, who helped with the search,” said Januari Smith, a spokesman for the department.
Gilson, 84, was found dead at about 1:45 p.m. Friday in Cedar Creek, where it runs through Parker Heights Park. Gilson was reported missing from the Veterans Home at about 6 p.m. Thursday after apparently wandering away. He had been a resident of the home for about a week.
Chuck Dyer, a close friend, visited Gilson at about 5:10 p.m. Thursday. He said Gilson was eating supper and seemed to be in good spirits. When he heard that Gilson was missing, Dyer said he was “totally shocked.”
A citywide search for Gilson continued through the night, coordinated by the Adams County Emergency Management Agency. It ended Friday afternoon when Jeff Meyer of Quincy’s Central Services Department found Gilson’s body.
Adams County Coroner Gary Hamilton said he’s received preliminary autopsy results and no foul play is suspected. However, it may take three weeks to get a final report that includes a cause of death.
John King, a nurse at the home and president of Local 787 AFSCME, blames chronic understaffing for Gilson’s death.
“We’ve been short-staffed for probably eight years. I’ve been complaining for the past five years,” King said. “I’m sorry to say it, but maybe it’s what had to happen. It’s a terrible thing for the family to go through. But I know what we need and what we don’t need because I’m there every day, and there is a problem.”
He described the Kent building where he works as having three doors — two in the back of the building and one at the front. He said at some times one nurse and one attendant are the only ones available to watch over all the residents and those access points.
King said the Veterans Home needs another 30 certified nurse assistants to get staffing “back to normal.”