Steven Block is a 70-year-old man who was sent to recover from a broken hip and shoulder in a Taos Healthcare nursing home. The facility, while noted for having a view of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, is poorly rated for its quality of care by the government.
According to a news article, after living at the facility for nearly eight months, Steven was told by nursing home staff that they wanted to move him to a different facility, one that permitted smoking. However, instead of discharging Steven to another facility, he was evicted from the home and onto the streets on January 31.
The other complication in this situation is that Steven has dementia. While he has good recollection of his long-term history, he does not have accurate recall of current events. Despite his health issues, Steven somehow managed to make it to Santa Fe that night. Once there, members of the fire and rescue team in Santa Fe drove Steven to a nearby homeless shelter called Consuelo’s Place.
Two weeks later, another Santa Fe fireman took Steven to Albuquerque airport and stayed with him, accompanying him all the way to southwestern Minnesota. Steven was met at the airport by his brother-in-law, Terrie.
Steven is now in an apartment and living on his own. Family members stop by to check on him, help him get food and take him to various medical appointments.
It is disturbing to think a facility could discharge an elderly person with dementia without first ensuring that individual had someplace to go and without informing family members. Terrie wrote a letter to the state to get answers. A government official wrote back saying that the individuals at the facility had acted appropriately.
