84-year-old woman locked out of Alzheimer’s care facility in robe, daughter 'outraged'
Ashley MayA Long Beach, California, hospital is accused of leaving an 84-year-old woman suffering from dementia outside a locked care facility in the middle of the night.
Surveillance video shared this week shows an elderly woman wearing what appears to be a bathrobe and sandals trying to open a door, then banging on the door as she looks inside. She is then seen walking down an alley, and pacing back.
It's unclear how long Savina Genoese Zerbi was stranded outside of the locked Alzheimer's treatment facility, Regency Palms, and how she was able to get into the building, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports. The video was captured around 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 13 and the full version s shows the woman trying to get in for at least 25 minutes, according to the Press-Telegram.
Her daughter, Costanza Genoese Zerbi, told the news organization she was "outraged" that a hospital would put her mother's "life in jeopardy" by sending her to the facility in a cab, that is accused of simply dropping the confused woman at the door.
The daughter has filed a complaint against College Medical Center with the California Department of Public Health on behalf of her mother.
Costanza Genoese Zerbi told KTLA her mother was originally taken to College Medical Center on Jan. 12 for treatment after she threatened suicide.
"We did tell the nurse that my mom has Alzheimer’s ... she arrived from a secured memory facility which means she is unable to fend for herself and is unable to be left without monitoring," Costanza Genoese Zerbi told USA TODAY. "She was determined to be cognitively incapacitated by two doctors last year."
College Medical Center said in a statement to the Orange County Register that staff followed proper procedure for relocating Savina Genoese Zerbi, saying she denied hospital transportation and insisted on public transportation.
The California Department of Public Health has declined to comment on the incident telling USA TODAY there is an ongoing investigation at the care facility.
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