HOUSTON – The family of Ramona Rodriquez was in tears describing the injuries they say their elderly loved one suffered at the Afton Oaks Rehabilitation Center.
“Nobody wants to go and see their mother like that,” said Francis Garcia, Rodriguez’s daughter.
What’s worse, they feel helpless and fear it could happen again.
“They abused her. There’s no doubt about it. You can see it. There’s no way you can’t. You look at those pictures and you can see it,” said Sylvia Poley, Rodriquez’s granddaughter.
Family members say Rodriquez had been living at the rehabilitation center for about three years, but on Jan. 15, something happened that would land her in the hospital days later.
“I went in and she was facing towards the window, and I got closer to her and I could see all black on her little face,” Garcia said.
Garcia said the explanation Afton Oaks officials gave isn’t adding up.
“(They said) that she fell. She was sitting, watching tv and she just falls?” Garcia asked.
Garcia said she hasn’t had much communication with her sister who is their mother’s power of attorney. And because of that, she hasn’t been able to access medical records to determine the extent of her mother’s injuries, though she fears they’re serious.
“She was just too hurt, and I hugged her, and I said, ‘Mom, mom are you ok?’ And I got her and I hugged her and I kissed her, but she was hurting and I thought to myself, ‘Who did that? Why?’” Garcia said.
Against Garcia’s wishes, her mother was released from the hospital and sent back to Afton Oaks. Garcia said her mother was left non-verbal since the injuries, and now they are hoping someone else will speak up.
“Maybe it was somebody who lives there, maybe it was the workers. It was somebody, so there’s got to be cameras. Whatever it is, somebody’s got to know what happened to her,” Garcia said.
KPRC 2 was told by a worker at Afton Oaks that someone from the facility would return our calls, but as of Monday night, we have not heard back.
Meanwhile, Houston police said it’s investigating and have gotten Adult Protective Services involved.
Garcia is hoping to become the power of attorney of her mother so she can have her relocated.