Carolyn Stone suffered from ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Her loving children cared for her at home until a point came when they realized that their mother required more care than they could give. So they placed her in the care of professionals at Alterra Clare Bridge assisted living facility where her children felt she would be well cared for … that is until she became terribly undernourished.
The story is tragic and it seems, from what I have read, that her death was caused not by her disease but rather by a total lack of proper oversight from those into whose care she had been entrusted. According to reports, she began having trouble feeding herself in October of last year.
At that point, according to Carolyn's son, the facility increased their monthly fee because someone had to feed Carolyn, but at the same time did not alert the family to the fact that Carolyn was losing weight at what is now clear was an alarming rate.
By the time the children realized how malnourished their mother had become, it was literally too late to save her.
Was Carolyn Stone's life devalued by those entrusted with her care? Were they truly paying attention to the woman whose life was in their hands? The closing lines of the news report tell the tale:
Billy Stone said he wished the center would have acknowledged that it couldn't care for his mother. He and his sister have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Alterra Healthcare Corp. in Oklahoma County District Court.
He said, "You trust these people and pay a lot of money for these people to secure your loved ones…
"In hindsight they weren't capable of handling her level of care, and we have questions about why we weren't notified and why this wasn't more of an option for us."
Please pray for Carolyn Stone's family, and for the happy repose of her soul. May the Lord grant those left behind the courage to persist until the complete truth is known.