Cayce, SC 02/21/2022 (Paul Kirby) – When Cayce police officers were dispatched to the Twilite Manor Assisted Living Facility around 9:30 a.m. last Friday morning, the actual dispatch was nothing out of the ordinary for police officers from across the nation. Assisted Living Facilities are places where elderly citizens move for help when they can no longer care for themselves at home and their family simply doesn’t have the resources available to take care of their loved one themselves.
Residents can live in an Assisted Living Facility until they reach the point in their lives where they can’t feed themselves or use the restroom with little or no assistance anymore. According to a state expert on caring for the elderly and infirmed, there’s more that goes into deciding what’s the correct placement for the elderly but that’s a simple test of whether assisted living is the right place to start. When they can no longer feed themselves or need help going to the bathroom all the time, the elderly probably need to be moved from assisted living to skilled nursing care. It’s a part of the downhill side of life, a place where many of us will one day be.
The sad truth is that people die in these types of facilities. Most of the residents are in their advanced years and have multiple health problems. Heart attacks, strokes, and other serious medical conditions are not uncommon at all. These facilities are supposed to have a full, well-trained staff on-duty. This includes both medical and non-medical staff members that can keep the facility clean and sanitary. They also help residents take their medicines at the right time and doses, keep their bodies clean, eat nutritious meals on a regular schedule, perform CPR, use an AED if needed, and call for an ambulance or a doctor if one is needed. When a police officer responds to a morning death at these types of facilities, they expect to be greeted by well trained staff who leads them to someone’s whose life and time just ran out overnight.
According to Ashley Hunter, a spokesperson for the Cayce Police Department, that is not what Cayce officers encountered when they were dispatched to a report of a resident’s death at Twilite Manner of the morning of February 18th. It was obvious to the Cayce officers things were not right.
According to Hunter, their 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a person that was the sole staff member on site at Twilite Manor at the time. That person wasn’t a doctor, a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), or a nurse. Instead, that person was simply a housekeeper. The caller stated there was an unresponsive male at the facility. Upon arriving on the scene, what officers found they knew from experience was not right!
Hunter said that the officers were led to a deceased male; whom has now been identified by Coroner Margaret Fisher as 69-year-old, Timothy Frank Catalano. Besides Mr. Catalano, they found another elderly patient that was in such poor health that they had to be transported for immediate medical treatment by EMS.
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The remaining 13 patients at the facility had not eaten or received any of their medications since the night before, according to Hunter. Please keep in mind that this is now after 9:30 a.m. the following day. Cayce officer quickly began assessing the entire situation and became aware of several patients who needed specific assistance right away. There were patients who were blind, some suffered from mental illness, and others were completely unable to care for themselves even in the most basic ways. They could not perform those two important measures. They couldn’t feed themselves or use the bathroom themselves.
While further checking, the police officers found no medical staff on site that could handle a medical emergency if one occurred. Unfortunately, from the death of Mr. Catalano, a medical emergency had obviously occurred.
As law enforcement officers, the men and women from the Cayce Police Department are legally empowered to take custody of a person who is in imminent danger for their own protection. It’s their duty to protect these citizens with the same vigor that they would a bank teller or store clerk being robbed. They are sworn to keep all people in Cayce safe.
According to Hunter, Twilite Manor’s description of their services claim to be “committed to providing the highest level of quality care.” They also say they have “highly trained professionals” and “around the clock on-site care available 24 hours a day” to assist with any needs that arise. That’s what the residents in their care should have been able to expect; but it is not what Cayce’s officers observed on the morning of February 18 and was not the case for Mr. Catalano or for any of the residents of Twilite Manor on that day.
Thankfully, the Cayce officers were well-trained and knew to intervene. Because they were there for the unfortunate death of a resident, they realized that the remaining residents might not receive adequate food, their medications, medical attention, or the general assistance they needed and deserved. The officers felt grave concern for the remaining residents. It was obvious to the officers that the other resident’s well-being was in imminent danger and they had to act.
At that time, the Cayce Police Department contacted the state agency charged with regulated Assisted Living Facilities, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) as well as Department of Social Services (DSS) and family of the residents.
Hunter said in a released statement, “The residents of Twilite Manor are family members, grandparents, parents, neighbors, and friends. Our officers were saddened to see their living conditions and took action to get them the medical and other assistance they needed. We will continue to work with DHEC, DSS and each of their families to ensure that the proper care and attention is provided to each one of them.”
At this time, all residents from Twilite Manor have been rehoused with members of their family or in an appropriate facility based on their needs and level of care. Twilite Manner may never reopen. If it does under new management or perhaps under a new name with a new owner and the conditions change 100% for the better, it appears clear that Friday morning, officers from the Cayce Police Department saved lives. For that, everyone should be thankful.
To report suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult in South Carolina, call 1-888-CARE4US (1-888-227-3487). Your name as the person making the call will not be revealed.
