Expert: Nafeesah - 2/12/2009

Question
My father is 82 years.  My stepmother is a registered nurse and knows how to do what she is doing from her medical training.  I have read information on starvation symptoms and know without doubt that she is starving my father to death.  She will not put him in a nursing home.  She will not let me hire a nurse to come in.  I don't know who to turn to for help.  Please don't tell me DHS, they are less than useless where my father lives.  Can you offer any advice as to who to contact for help with this situation??

Answer
If you know your stepmother is inducing a condition that isnt warranted you can report her for neglect because she can lose her license. My mom's a nurse and by law nurses can lose their license if they're caught being neglectful. DHS is the only people you can call to come in and talk to someone who handles complaints pertaining to elder abuse. I can only tell you that you have to contact a social service agency to notify protective services of what is going on here. I would call an agency ASAP and explain the situation they should be able to direct you to someone to file a complaint. Notify your home state's department of public health and professional regulation who handle the licensure of nurses and nurses aides.