91 Year Old Woman’s Death May Be a Warning For Potential Elder Care Givers and Recipients

Twenty-six year old Stephanie Hernandez cared for her great-aunt, Maria Lopez, for three years. One night Lopez stopped breathing, and Hernandez called 911. When emergency personnel arrived at Lopez’s home, they reported used bandages, soiled diapers, a stained mattress, and an overwhelming stench of urine, rotting flesh, and feces in Lopez’s room. Most shocking, however, was the condition of Lopez’s bed-bound body. Bed sores covered the ninety-one year old woman’s body, some deep enough to show the bone underneath. Police arrested Hernandez for the murder of Lopez. Hernandez denied causing her great-aunt’s death.

Hernadez provided homecare for Lopez because Lopez did not want to die in a medical facility after watching her own sisters die in hospital rooms years before. Instead, Hernandez claims that her family pressured her to care for her aunt at home. According to Hernandez, Lopez, who suffered from dementia, was adamant about not allowing Hernandez to seek outside medical help.