“It’s something out of a horror story,” Lisa Howard told KXAN of the incident involving her mother, Kathleen Laurel, who lived at Brush Country Nursing and Rehabilitation in Austin. Her beloved mom reportedly died “peacefully” in her sleep on September 26, 2021, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, according to her eyes. However, her final days may not have been so peaceful. Two weeks before Laurel died, her family reportedly received word that their relative’s room was infested with ants. “I went over there as soon as I found out that day and talked to the nurse who found her the night before,” Howard recalled. He added that the nurse, who was pregnant, tearfully told how “she was the one taking the ants out of my mother and they were biting her as she did it”. Accompanying photos taken by the family show Laurel’s body covered in tiny red flowers. Researchers have not yet identified the species of ant responsible for the attack, but the marks look consistent with the stings of fire ants, an aggressive invasive species from South America that inhabit large areas of the southern US, including Texas. Two weeks before Kathleen Laurel (left) died, her family was reportedly told that their relative’s nursing home room was infested with ants. KXAN Named for the stinging pain they cause, fire ant venom can cause potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reactions similar to bees and wasps. The red bugs have been responsible for a number of deaths in nursing homes in the South over the years, including a 2020 incident in which a 56-year-old Arkansas nursing home resident died after fire ants were found swarming her body. Meanwhile, last June, a Georgia jury awarded $2.5 million to the family of a 92-year-old woman who died after being repeatedly stung during an attack at her assisted-care facility. Laurel’s situation was particularly heartbreaking as her mental state reportedly made her unable to communicate the problem to staff. The family said they hope Laurel’s situation will convince the state to impose minimum staffing requirements to ensure this doesn’t happen anywhere else. KXAN “She was completely helpless,” Howard lamented. “He couldn’t ask for help.” When confronted with the supposed outbreak, Brush Country administrators described the incident as heat rash—an explanation Howard found “ridiculous” given the symptoms. “Then heat rash begs the question, ‘Well why — where was he in such heat that he got heat rash?’ ” added her distraught daughter Laurel. The family then filed a lawsuit against Brush Country Nursing and Rehabilitation, as well as its parent company, Dynasty Healthcare Management, KXAN reported. According to a verified Texas Health and Human Services Commission report filed by the family’s attorney, the facility failed to ensure that a resident “with physical disabilities and severe cognitive impairment” was monitored at regular intervals during the night shift. “She was found with active ants crawling on her while she was in bed with ant bites all over her body causing the residents pain, red welts and hives that required immediate medical intervention and treatment,” the report added. In an interview with the inspector, a nurse claimed that she had tried to remove all the insects from Laurel and moved her to a recliner, but stated that it was impossible to check every resident every two hours. Meanwhile, administrators at Brush Country Nursing and Rehabilitation claimed the facility had “deep cleaned” Laurel’s room and contacted exterminators to spray her room. The report said the facility also assessed the skin of all residents for ant bites and inspected each room, but found no “additional ants.” Lawyers for the nursing home company have since denied all of the family’s claims. Photos taken by the family show Laurel’s hand covered in obvious ant bites. Courtesy Lisa Howard When confronted with the alleged attack, Brush Country administrators referred to the incident as heat rash — an explanation Howard found “ridiculous” given the symptoms. Courtesy of Lisa Howard Unfortunately, the ant attack was only one of the alleged examples of negligence cited in the inspector’s report. Brush Country also reported on everything from resident falls to missed meals, which have turned into staffing shortages that have reportedly plagued the state’s assisted living facilities since before the coronavirus pandemic. The family said they hope Laurel’s situation will convince the state to impose minimum staffing requirements to ensure this doesn’t happen anywhere else. Kathleen’s widower, Joe Laurel, reflects on his wife’s death.KXAN Last April, New York implemented a new law requiring the state’s more than 600 nursing homes to provide 3½ hours of care per resident per day. At least 2.2 hours of that time must be provided by a certified nursing assistant or nursing assistant, and at least 1.1 hours must be provided by a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, according to the mandate. Perhaps they released it in time: Researchers believe fire ants are now moving north and establishing colonies in colder environments. “We’re kind of shocked,” said Robert Warren, an associate professor of biology at Buffalo State College who co-authored a recent paper on the invading ants. “As you go up the mountains in the southern Appalachians, they show more and more cold temperature tolerance,” Warren said. “So they adapt perfectly naturally to these colder temperatures.” Laurel’s obit states that she died “peacefully” in her sleep.KXAN
