Nursing Homes' Losing Streak Continues

By Matt Wood in News on Oct 3, 2006 12:30PM

Chicagoist has written about its fair share of disturbing nursing home incidents. So far they've involved some sort of hideous animal feasting on a poor old lady, but no fires ... until now. Officials in Lake Station, Indiana are investigating the death of a woman in an assisted living center after she set herself on fire.

Virigina Chumley died two days after she caught fire while playing with a cigarette lighter. The catching on fire part we could see; it happens, we guess, with feeble old ladies with poor eyesight and even poorer motor skills. But to be on fire long enough to be engulfed and die? That makes us wonder who exactly was paying attention, especially in a place where you can probably buy oxygen bottles out of a soda machine. The Indiana Department of Health is now investigating whether the home provided her sufficient care. We'd hate to see the condition of some of the other patients in the place.