State cites Charlotte nursing home after live maggots found in resident’s wound

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has cited a Charlotte nursing home after live maggots were found in the wound of a resident suffering from dementia.

University Place Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center was cited by DHHS on September 20, after inspectors launched a four-day investigation prompted by a complaint from the resident’s grandson.

Justin Waddell says he first became aware of the situation with his grandmother’s wound after getting tipped off by concerned staff working at the nursing home.

He said, at first, a staff member called him and told him he needed to check on his grandmother, Bernice Mayes. Then another staffer sent him video that showed an open wound on his grandmother’s heel with live maggots crawling out.

“My stomach turned. I would say a wide range of emotions came with me,” Waddell said after first seeing the video.

Inspection Report

“You know, the video that I received, if you didn’t know any better, you would think it came from a third world county, not a facility in the United States.”

Waddell had Mayes taken to the hospital to treat her wound and then moved to another facility. He also called regulators to report the incident.

On Thursday, a spokeswoman for DHHS confirmed inspectors had visited the facility and confirmed the incident involving Mayes’ heel wound.

According to an inspection report provided by DHHS, staff said they found between 50-100 maggots in Mayes’ heel when they discovered the infection.

Instead of having Mayes taken to the hospital to have the wound cleaned, staff told inspectors, the nursing home’s director of nursing called in the assistant director of nursing to clean the wound on-site.

DHHS cited the nursing home.

The inspection report said the nursing home has already taken steps to address the issue, including spraying for flies, purchasing 46 new window screens and adding lights to help spot bugs.

Multiple emails to the nursing home for comment for this story were not returned.

Prior to the latest inspection, records show University Place had been cited 21 times for violations by state inspectors over the past decade.

Justin Waddell said he’s speaking now as a reminder to the public that loved ones in nursing homes and similar facilities need constant monitoring.

“The main takeaway from it is you have to stay vigilant with, you know, those who are providing care because it hit me as a blind side,” he said. “I was not expecting this.”