Tragic California Nursing Home Murder/Suicide Prompts State Investigation
Sixty-four year old Diana Harden walked into the Oakland Springs Health Center on Sunday, September 13, 2009 around 10:00 p.m. and shot and killed her forty-three year old daughter, Yvette Harden, and then killed herself. This tragedy might have been prevented if someone had just listened to Diana Harden when she advocated on behalf of her daughter.
Yvette Harden was twenty-eight years old when she was severely injured in a near-fatal auto accident on July 19, 1994. Left a quadriplegic with brain injuries, Yvette had the intellect of an adult but little impulse control and no inhibitions. She also could not balance herself. Her family searched for the next fifteen years for a facility capable of caring for her needs, to no avail.
Yvette lived in multiple facilities, all allegedly incapable of handling her or her needs. She was admitted into Oakland Springs Health Center approximately six years ago. Diana Harden and her family tried desperately to educate the staff on brain injuries and the repercussions of the injuries that claimed Yvette's normal life. There were photos of Yvette in her room ranging from her childhood through the present time, as well as a detailed story of what her life was like. Harden also provided a layman's explanation of brain injuries for staff to read.
There are numerous allegations as to how staff treated Yvette. Reportedly, facility staff treated Yvette like an "animal" or a "non-person". They did not provide Yvette with a diabetic diet, instead just cut her caloric intake. She gained so much weight that she outgrew her wheelchair and had to have a new one ordered. CNAs allegedly called Yvette "fat pig" and told her that they "hate taking care of her". CNAs also allegedly washed Yvette in the shower "like a car real hard" and turned on the cold water to punish her. Once Yvette screamed, the CNAs allegedly would switch the water back to hot before the charge nurse could arrive. The facility allegedly did not provide diapers for Yvette and her family had to provide them for her.
Diana Harden mailed a letter to ABC7 I-Team the day before she went to the nursing home and ended her daughter's life as well as her own. The letter detailed the abuse that Yvette allegedly endured at the hands of facility staff. Dan Noyes of ABC7 I-Team discussed the situation with Tony Perez, the owner of Oakland Springs Health Center. Perez does not believe that any of the situations occurred. I-Team turned the letter over to Oakland Police for review.
Interestingly, I-Team located a tall stack of complaints against the facility at the state Department of Public Health. In August 2008, Yvette filed a complaint against the facility because they took away her motorized wheelchair. The report said "since the facility "took away' [her] motorized wheelchair, [she] said on multiple occasions, 'I want to die; I don't want to live without my wheelchair.'"
The state Department of Health sent a statement saying, "our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all of those impacted by this tragic turn of events. We can confirm we have begun an investigation."
