Faiaipau

BACKGROUND

According to plaintiffs’ complaint, Ana was born in 1944. She underwent heart surgery in January 2023 and was placed on a ventilator and feeding tube while she recovered. In March 2023, Ana was transferred to Kindred, a long-term acute care hospital, for care during her recovery. The expectation was that Kindred would wean Ana off the ventilator and provide dialysis treatment. Because of inadequate equipment and staff training, Kindred withheld dialysis treatment from Ana, which led to

2 swelling, discomfort, and harm to her health. Kindred failed to provide Ana proper nutrition through her feeding tube, causing malnutrition and weight loss. Kindred staff did not check on Ana for long periods, resulting in her sitting in her own feces for hours at a time. Staff also failed to reposition or turn her to prevent the progression of pressure ulcers. In April 2023, Ana’s ventilator began beeping and flashing red while her family was visiting her. No staff responded until Ana’s family yelled and shouted for help. Around 4:30 a.m. the next day, Ana’s ventilator was disconnected by staff or became disconnected. No staff checked on her for hours. When staff found her…