Dirt and expired medications: Ombudsman representatives visited a private nursing home in Mykolaiv.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights in Mykolaiv region responded to a publication by “Novosti-N”, which reported on the activities of one of the private institutions providing services for the care of elderly people.

The following day, the team from the Mykolaiv office of the Ombudsman conducted an unscheduled visit to the private nursing home “House of Care,” which was announced on their Facebook page.

During confidential conversations with the residents of this facility, it was found that some of the residents were there against their own will.

“Upon analyzing the documentation provided by the director, namely contracts for social services and some copies of the residents' medical documents, cases were identified where residents were placed in the nursing home by third parties without familial ties to them.

According to the residents and their relatives, the staff of the nursing home forcibly administer strong psychotropic medications to the residents at their discretion without a doctor's prescription, aiming to sedate them. Most residents lack appropriate medical prescriptions for these medications. The staff did not provide any prescriptions that would authorize the purchase of these medications. It should also be noted that none of the staff members have medical education, and the provision of medical services is not stipulated in the facility's regulations.

Additionally, some residents have significant bodily injuries on open skin areas, particularly bruises on their faces. Due to the lack of medical examinations upon the admission of residents to the nursing home and any documentation recording the physical condition of individuals prior to their acceptance into the facility, it is impossible to determine the exact time, place, and nature of the injuries. Given the facts mentioned above, this may indicate the possibility of bodily harm occurring during the forced placement in the facility or during their stay in the nursing home,” – reported the office.

Among other identified violations:

• Unsanitary conditions, dirt.
• Expired fire extinguishers.
• Pest control poison scattered throughout the rooms.
• Food of unclear origin and usage dates stored in the refrigerator.
• Expired medications.
• Lack of personal belongings among residents, instances of missing phones.
• Malfunctioning electrical appliances.
• Broken furniture.
• Dirty bed linen.
• Insufficient lighting.
• Rooms not ventilated.
• Pre-filled blood pressure readings for residents.
• Instances of personal belongings and mobile phones going missing.

“Violations of this nature require immediate response; therefore, based on the results of the monitoring and within the powers defined by Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine on the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, and according to Articles 214, 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, relevant letters regarding the possible commission of a criminal offense have been sent to the authorized bodies,” – noted the office.

An understanding of what is happening in this facility can also be formed from the photographs released by the representatives of the Ombudsman.