Prior to retiring my sister was a nursing home administrator in Texas. She said they had a few very large patients who were sent there by the hospital because they could not return home but didn't require hospital care. She stated they could only manage a limited number because of the number of staff required to assist larger residents. She stated although many could not leave their rooms and were on low calorie diets they routinely manipulated older residents into bringing them left over food. She said it was a real strain on the staff. Special beds and harnesses were required for lifting for bathing and turning. They only had a few and could not accept a new resident without such special equipment designed for larger people.
She said what she saw over the years were more and more larger individuals at younger ages being admitted with nothing else wrong with them other than their size. Often times she said family members who were caretakers just couldn't perform the task any longer from mental fatigue to physical problems from not having the skill to deal with the weight of the individual. She also stated that those same family members would often bring dozens of donuts, pizza, and other foods to the person knowing they were in a nursing home because of their weight. She said they seemed to believe bringing such foods equaled love and would comment as the person was losing weight they were just wasting away. When I asked her who paid their bills she said the cost was paid by the state. I asked her how long could they live like that and she stated with the right care a long time.
I believe Steven will eventually become if not already a ward of the state living in a nursing home. She also said it's not that easy to just put them out because of their size. She said it's not like their families can just load them up and drive away and most families refuse to take them once they have been admitted to a nursing home.
