PA - Elaine Latshaw, 77, dies of extreme neglect, Mahanoy City, 14 Aug 2015 *Arrests*

"Elder Abuse, or Respecting Last Wishes?"* - Schuylkill County - 14 Aug 2015

Deceased:

Elaine Latshaw :: Female / 77 Years Old

*http://wnep.com/2016/08/19/elder-abuse-or-respecting-last-wishes/:

GRAPHIC Text

Lower Court DocketS:

Co-Defendant: Dorothy Robinson :: White / Female / 53 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016


Co-Defendant: John F. Latshaw Jr. :: White / Male / 57 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016


May Elaine Rest In Peace.

I understand this. My grandfather died last February leaving my grandmother who has severe dementia. They were in a nursing home together and he died in bed next to her but she is just done. She won't eat or drink or use the bathroom she won't get out of bed she tried to hurt herself, etc. She says she wants to be with him. Can't remember that her parents or sister are dead, can't remember our names, doesn't know how old she is but she damn well knows her husband of 70 years is dead and she wants to die too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Richrd said:

"Elder Abuse, or Respecting Last Wishes?"* - Schuylkill County - 14 Aug 2015

Deceased:

Elaine Latshaw :: Female / 77 Years Old

*http://wnep.com/2016/08/19/elder-abuse-or-respecting-last-wishes/:

GRAPHIC Text

Lower Court DocketS:

Co-Defendant: Dorothy Robinson :: White / Female / 53 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016


Co-Defendant: John F. Latshaw Jr. :: White / Male / 57 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016


May Elaine Rest In Peace.

Click to expand...

Richard, if you would give some sort of a quote that I could sink my teeth into, I'd be a lot more inclined to read and reply. I know some of the stuff you post is quite interesting, but the way it's presented leaves me absolutely cold. Give us a bit of info from the links, please. TIA

Click on the wnep article.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From one of the linked articles:

"MAHANOY CITY -- A couple is charged with murder after investigators say they neglected a 77-year-old woman to death. They were supposed to be caring for the woman.

Authorities in Schuylkill County say that Elaine Latshaw, 77, was left alone in a room to die in a Mahanoy City home last August. One year later, serious charges are filed against her son and his girlfriend.

Dorothy Robinson, 53, and her boyfriend John Latshaw Jr., 57, of Mahanoy City say they’re not to blame for Elaine Latshaw's death. They say the woman wanted to die."


I too can understand the son's side of this. Many of us had a parent who was extremely controlling of others throughout their life and who became much, much worse when old age set in. When any dementia sets in it becomes even worse.

Some parents "fire" their child as their power of attorney for health care and chose instead choose someone else whom they can more easily manipulate.

This woman had already been in a nursing home situation. What if the patient says "I want out of here. I want to go back home and be left alone to die so I can be with my husband." Are we not to allow this? Are we to arrest the child who allows this to happen?

My late husband died at home of cancer. Among the last words he spoke were "No hospital. No hospital."

And yes, patients who are bedridden and not repositioned regularly will develop bedsores. Patients with extremely poor circulation will often develop gangrene. This is just what happens. And people who die often have a release of urine and fecal matter upon death.

We do not allow euthanasia. Sometimes sick older people will commit suicide, if they have the means. Other times they will just stop eating and drinking.

Are their decisions not to be respected? Are their children to be arrested because that was their decision?

Paraphrasing Tssiemer:

My Grandmother has severe dementia.

She won't eat or drink, and tried to hurt herself, etc.

She knows her husband of 70 years is dead, and she wants to die too.



A similar situation with my late Aunt at Age 99;

Fortunately, her visiting loved ones understood her wishes of

No Hydration, or Food, etc.

Plus, living in an Extended Care Facility, everything was Well Documented.


We are Thinking of Your Grandmother, Tssiemer, and
her Many Remaining Loved Ones.

"Elder Abuse, or Respecting Last Wishes?"* - Schuylkill County - 14 Aug 2015

Deceased:

Fannie Elaine (Pennell) Latshaw :: Female / 77 Years Old

Republic Herald:
http://republicanherald.com/news/couple-charged-in-woman-s-death-by-neglect-1.2080827:

GRAPHIC Text

Cause of Death :: "Aspiration Pneumonia, ...Multiple Pressure Ulcerations, Gangrene, Malnutrition..."

Manner of Death :: Homicide


*WNEP-TV Headline: "Elder Abuse, or Respecting Last Wishes?"
*http://wnep.com/2016/08/19/elder-abuse-or-respecting-last-wishes/:

Paraphrasing Co-Defendant:

They maintain they tried to help, but Elaine refused,
wanting only to be reunited with Her Husband, John Sr., who died on 5/1/2012.

Lower Court DocketS:

Co-Defendant: Dorothy Robinson :: White / Female / 53 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000299-2016


Co-Defendant: John F. Latshaw Jr. :: White / Male / 57 Years Old

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016
&
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Docke...rt.ashx?docketNumber=MJ-21305-CR-0000298-2016


May Fannie Elaine Rest In Peace.

That's just too much for me.

My family is HUGE on refusing life support and having DNRs. Just my opinion, but that really does look like a horrendous situation.

You can't make them get help or receive it, but you have to document it or have a Dr or nurse come in and see the conditions, to keep your butt out of jail. My mom was living badly, but we couldn't get her out of her house, called in services, but they said, she is of sound mind, she is allowed to live the way she wants. Short version, she fell, we got her into a nursing home 3 yrs ago, her 93rd birthday is today. She has a DNR and no water or food, if she falls ill. So we do what we can, but she is at least fed, clean and looked after.

Richrd said:

Paraphrasing Tssiemer:

My Grandmother has severe dementia.

She won't eat or drink, and tried to hurt herself, etc.

She knows her husband of 70 years is dead, and she wants to die too.



A similar situation with my late Aunt at Age 99;

Fortunately, her visiting loved ones understood her wishes of

No Hydration, or Food, etc.

Plus, living in an Extended Care Facility, everything was Well Documented.


We are Thinking of Your Grandmother, Tssiemer, and
her Many Remaining Loved Ones.

Click to expand...

I love reading your posts. Keep it up. I'm torn on this one. I took care of the elderly for years. But, there is NO way I could EVER let an elderly person lay in that filth. My motto was, they gave us our yesterdays, we can give them our tomorrows. This is heart breaking and gut wrenching. :tears:

I believe in a right to die idk. My grandmother is just trapped in her mind right now. My grandfather was mentally sharp and active and such until the week before he died. He was 93 and she turns 94 next month. Their birthdays are 3 days apart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Elder abuse. No one leaves a sick, elderly, helpless, person full of bed sores and bone deep gangrene to starve to death in a bed filthy with human waste out of a sense of dignity and respect.

TeaTime said:

Elder abuse. No one leaves a sick, elderly, helpless, person full of bed sores and bone deep gangrene to starve to death in a bed filthy with human waste out of a sense of dignity and respect.

Click to expand...

I agree TeaTime, if they put her into a care facility they would bathe her and keep her clean and hygienic, keep her bed clean, and tend to any wounds or anything that needed tending to.
They would also attempt to feed her, if she refused to eat, they cannot force food into anyone's mouth. Whether or not she wanted to eat is entirely her choice.
Clearly this unfortunate lady suffered some sort of mental break when her husband passed away, (she was sleeping next to him). After this tragic event she needed to be cared for, and from what I have read there was no-one capable of understanding this, her situation, or her needs. Her situation became a case of horrific elder abuse.

AlwaysShocked said:

From one of the linked articles:

I too can understand the son's side of this. Many of us had a parent who was extremely controlling of others throughout their life and who became much, much worse when old age set in. When any dementia sets in it becomes even worse.

Some parents "fire" their child as their power of attorney for health care and chose instead choose someone else whom they can more easily manipulate.

This woman had already been in a nursing home situation. What if the patient says "I want out of here. I want to go back home and be left alone to die so I can be with my husband."
Are their decisions not to be respected? Are their children to be arrested because that was their decision?

Click to expand...

After this lady's husband died she should have been left in the care facility, she obviously suffered some sort of trauma (mental break).
She may have been domineering, but this couple were in their mid 50s , they were not 'downtrodden' dominated children. They were capable of making their own decisions. If she became too difficult to cope with, they had the option of putting her back into the care facility.

The way this lady was treated was not a matter of respecting her decisions, she had lost the ability of making those decisions, someone needed to bathe her and take care of her personal needs - the very basics of human life.

I guess they had no problem receiving her SS checks for $1200 each month. How convenient. In the WNEP article the son states they "tried to help her." Really? How? What kind of son can cash in his mother's SS checks while leaving her to essential rot to death? She would have been in a horrific amount of pain. One wouldn't have had to be a health care professional to have seen that months before she died. Did they ever contact her doctor? A doctor? A nurse? An ambulance? Some kind of health care agency to at least assess her and ensure that she wasn't suffering? Even if one wishes to die and wishes to no longer eat or drink, there is absolutely no need for someone to slowly die suffering from bed infected, gangrenous bedsores, lying in their own waste and blood. With dying should come dignity. This woman did not die with dignity. For all we know they stuffed her in that room, chose to ignore her all the while they enjoyed her $1200 SS checks. May they rot like she did.

Skully said:

You can't make them get help or receive it, but you have to document it or have a Dr or nurse come in and see the conditions, to keep your butt out of jail. My mom was living badly, but we couldn't get her out of her house, called in services, but they said, she is of sound mind, she is allowed to live the way she wants. Short version, she fell, we got her into a nursing home 3 yrs ago, her 93rd birthday is today. She has a DNR and no water or food, if she falls ill. So we do what we can, but she is at least fed, clean and looked after.

Click to expand...

BBM This. 100% ^

My mom didn't want help either. Every home aid or housekeeper we hired, she fired! But after she got into the nursing home, it took awhile, but she realized that is where she needed to be. She was hard to deal with, but it didn't stop us from getting her help. These two need to rot in jail.

BTW my mom's birthday party was great, my sister and I made food, took in a cake and treats and she celebrated with a few of her friends there. We had a really nice time. The woman were so happy to be part of her party, they even forgot where they were in the end. One lady said she felt like it was a day out, at a restaurant and having dinner with friends. Made me cry. So you can't just give up on our elder generation, you have to keep trying to help. Don't get me wrong, my mom screamed at us, threw a fit, wanted to just die, but yesterday, we had a party for her 93 years. She is much happier.

I'm a huge proponent of the right to die. However anyone with a heart could not let someone they claim to love spend their last days on Earth covered in urine,feces,blood, and bedsores. And I can't even imagine what bone deep gangrene is like. Treating those issues would be to make her more comfortable and to give her a dignified death. There was nothing to stop them from making her comfortable. Doing that wouldn't have interfered with her wish to die.

Meryl12 said:

I agree TeaTime, if they put her into a care facility they would bathe her and keep her clean and hygienic, keep her bed clean, and tend to any wounds or anything that needed tending to.
They would also attempt to feed her, if she refused to eat, they cannot force food into anyone's mouth. Whether or not she wanted to eat is entirely her choice.
Clearly this unfortunate lady suffered some sort of mental break when her husband passed away, (she was sleeping next to him). After this tragic event she needed to be cared for, and from what I have read there was no-one capable of understanding this, her situation, or her needs. Her situation became a case of horrific elder abuse.

Click to expand...

You'd be amazed at that all they can't make my grandmother do. The only thing they force her to do is get out of bed and into a wheel chair. They tried to give her IVs for fluids but she rips them out. I told them to do a PICC line (I've had one before) and they say if she tried to rip it out it can seriously injure her. So idk. Is that living for her?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LayzeeDayzee said:

I guess they had no problem receiving her SS checks for $1200 each month. How convenient. In the WNEP article the son states they "tried to help her." Really? How? What kind of son can cash in his mother's SS checks while leaving her to essential rot to death? She would have been in a horrific amount of pain. One wouldn't have had to be a health care professional to have seen that months before she died. Did they ever contact her doctor? A doctor? A nurse? An ambulance? Some kind of health care agency to at least assess her and ensure that she wasn't suffering? Even if one wishes to die and wishes to no longer eat or drink, there is absolutely no need for someone to slowly die suffering from bed infected, gangrenous bedsores, lying in their own waste and blood. With dying should come dignity. This woman did not die with dignity. For all we know they stuffed her in that room, chose to ignore her all the while they enjoyed her $1200 SS checks. May they rot like she did.

Click to expand...

Ooooooh I didn't know about the checks!! That's hinky!! My grandmothers checks go to the nursing home she's in so that didn't even cross my mind!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk