Methuen firefighters on Saturday had to rescue an 86-year-old woman who was apparently left behind inside a dialysis clinic that had closed for the day, officials said.
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Sullivan said the woman had been transported to the clinic via private ambulance from an assisted care facility in Wilmington, and was due to be picked up by the same ambulance company.
“Once she realized she was alone, she got really really scared and she didn’t know how long she was going to be there for”, Crosby said.
Perry was taken to the Methuen clinic by staff members of the rehabilitation facility she was now staying at.
After discovering the mix-up Saturday night, Crosby called 911.
“It’s about 5:15 and we haven’t heard from any place, and your grandmother isn’t back yet”, said Crosby about the phone call. They found her grandmother still sitting in the clinic’s chair in the dark.
“She’s really, really shaken up still”, Crosby told WFXT.
“At first, I was enraged, then concerned, and then disgusted”, said Erica Crosby. “We saw her this morning, and she was just beside herself still, can’t wrap her head around what unfolded”.
“It’s just frightful”, Crosby said. She was later checked by her dialysis doctor.
Our patients’ care and safety are our top priorities and we have initiated additional processes and safeguards to ensure that an incident such as this does not happen again. They said they have yet to receive an explanation from Fresenius Medical Care about the incident.
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Methuen police said they contacted the state Department of Elder Affairs, but the agency declined to investigate saying it wasn’t a neglect or abuse case.
