Home Was Visited in Elder Abuse Case : Crime: Court records raise questions about the role of county Social Services Agency and whether more could have been done to prevent an elderly Huntington Beach man’s death.
HUNTINGTON BEACH — Six months before a elderly man died from alleged neglect, a county social worker had visited his home and determined that he was being adequately cared for, according to court records.
Robert Heitzman, 68, was found by paramedics at his home in the 19000 block of Stingray Lane on Dec. 3, 1990, lying in a soiled bed, apparently dead for several hours.
An autopsy determined that the death was caused by septic shock induced by acute bedsores that in turn were from malnutrition, dehydration and neglect.
Police arrested Heitzman’s sons--Jerry, 44, and Richard, 47, who lived with their father--on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and elder abuse.
Heitzman’s daughter, Susan Heitzman, 31, a La Habra resident at the time, was also arrested on suspicion of elder abuse. The three are scheduled to be arraigned July 11 and are free on their own recognizance.
Court records raise questions about the role of the County Social Services Agency and whether more could have been done to prevent Robert Heitzman’s death.
A social worker from Adult Protective Services had been called to the home on May 22, 1990, and told the family that the elderly Heitzman should receive medical attention. But after a follow-up telephone call--and no further visits--the case was closed.
Social Services officials are reviewing the case to determine whether proper procedures were followed.
“Whenever we have a situation where there is police involvement or a problem of this nature, we would be looking at the case and the actions taken by the caseworker,†said Dianne Edwards, director of adult and employment services.
Edwards declined to comment directly on the case because police are still investigating Heitzman’s death.
But she said the agency will look to “tighten things up†if procedures are found to have been flawed.
Edwards said one problem faced by social workers is that the adult registry is designed as an emergency response program, with no resources for long-term case management.
“Unless there is evidence that the situation is not going to be rectified or additional services not brought in, there is no further intervention,†she said. “The need to get in, do emergency response and get out is related to our limited means.â€
The staff of adult services includes just five caseworkers who do actual field work, Edwards said.
The number of elder abuse reports has increased 66% since 1985. From July, 1990, through March, an average of 147 reports a month have been logged with the elder abuse hot line. During the previous year, reports averaged 136 per month.
Not all reports are investigated, Edwards said. Much depends on the nature of a complaint. If a home is visited, the caseworker must judge what level of intervention is needed, she said.
“The social worker attempts to assess what is going on,†she said. “She definitely wants to see the individual and determine his condition, and a service plan is based on that.â€
However, a caseworker cannot intervene on behalf of an individual unless he is judged incompetent to make his own decision.
“If they say, ‘Go away, I like the way I’m living,’ we have to do that,†Edwards said.
If an individual is judged to be in imminent danger, the agency would have to contact police to enter the home.
No such danger was perceived in the Heitzman case, according to court records.
On May 22, 1990, Gloria Frandsen, a social worker who has since left Adult Protective Services, arrived at the Heitzman home unannounced. According to police interviews and reports filed with Adult Services, Robert Heitzman was sitting in a wheelchair in the living room.
Frandsen told police that Heitzman’s overall hygiene was poor but that he appeared well fed and did not smell.
He told her that he was all right, Frandsen stated. She checked the food supply but did not inspect the bedrooms, bathrooms or take photographs.
During her hourlong visit, Frandsen gave the family several referrals, including the name and number of a physician and the number for the Meals on Wheels program.
Frandsen told police that she was concerned that Jerry Heitzman, who was identified as responsible for his father, might not be able to care for him properly.
Frandsen told police she made at least two follow-up calls reminding the family that the father needed medical attention.
Since other members of the household seemed more alert and concerned than Jerry Heitzman, more interviews were not pursued, she told police.
Frandsen could not be reached for comment.
Social Services closed the Heitzman case on Aug. 8. According to police, there is no evidence that Robert Heitzman ever received medical attention before he died.
According to court records, the agency was first contacted about Heitzman on May 8, 1990, when a worker manning the county’s elder abuse hot line received a call from woman who said that an elderly gentleman was being neglected at the house on Stingray.
The caller was Lisa Ann Bernier, 27, youngest daughter of Heitzman. Bernier, reached at her Whittier home, said she did not want to talk about her family.
Paramedics were called to the home about 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 3 but sensed almost immediately that there was more going on than the death of a sick, elderly man, according to police reports. The bedroom was filthy and the stench from human waste so bad that windows had to be opened.
Worse was the condition of the deceased. He was covered with bedsores, bruises and gaping wounds that were still bleeding. Police were called immediately.
The family has declined repeated requests for interviews. Attorneys for Richard and Susan Heitzman could not be reached for comment. Jerry Heitzman’s attorney, Mike McClellan, said he could offer no comment on the case because he had not seen police records or the interviews taped with his client.
Those interviews and other records reveal a grim tale: Heitzman had not been seen by a physician in at least five years. Police allege that the elderly veteran and retired plumber had not been fed or had a change of clothes in three days. Police officers on the scene described the bathroom used by Heitzman as “unfit for human use.â€
The coroner’s report said Heitzman was afflicted with an “advanced stage of bedsores†that were several months old.
Five people lived in the house with Heitzman: Jerry and Richard Heitzman, and Richard’s two adult sons and adult stepson. Susan Heitzman had moved out of the home more than two years earlier. Prosecutors said only the three siblings were charged because under state statutes, children have a duty to care for their parents.
“One can maybe find a moral obligation, but only sons and daughters have a legal duty towards their parents,†said Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Molko, one of the prosecutors on the case.
Molko said manslaughter charges are justified.
“Involuntary manslaughter is appropriate for the brothers who lived in the house and had notice (that their father) needed medical attention,†he said. “Susan did not live in the home, so she had less of an opportunity to be faced with the situation, but the facts show she was aware that he needed to go to the doctor. She knew the conditions, had seen the bed.â€
The bed in which Robert Heitzman died--actually a mattress--had a gaping hole, through which the box springs protruded, according to police.
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