93-year-old elderly woman in a situation of abandonment is rescued in Branquinha, AL: ‘Locked in the property’, says public defender | Alagoas

A 93-year-old woman who was abandoned in the municipality of Branquinha, in the interior of Alagoas, was rescued by the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Alagoas (DPE-AL). The rescue was announced by the agency this Tuesday (2).

Public defender João Augusto Sinhorin said that the Public Defender’s Office received a complaint from the Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAS), which found that the elderly woman lived alone in precarious conditions. With authorization from the Court, the elderly woman was rescued.

“With the court decision in hand, we headed to comply with the court order. Upon arriving at the residence, it was discovered that the elderly woman had been locked in the property all day and did not have the key to the place (which was in the possession of a daughter-in-law who lived at a certain distance from the house), there was no food in the refrigerator (which was actually turned off), the stove did not have a gas cylinder and, at the time of the visit, the elderly woman had not yet eaten. The hygiene conditions were precarious , in addition, the elderly woman was taking expired medicine and had “clean” clothes that were moldy”, reported the public defender.

After the finding, the Public Defender’s Office contacted municipal health to assess the elderly woman’s physical and mental health situation. Health professionals found that the elderly woman had not received follow-up care from the health service for over a year, due to family members failing to welcome health teams into the family. Furthermore, she was not up to date with her Covid and flu vaccinations.

After the rescue, the elderly woman received medical care and was taken to the Long-Term Institution “Casa do Pobre Santo Antônio”.

The Institution will continue to monitor the case with the aim of ensuring that the citizen receives the appropriate social, psychological and health assistance support.

Reports of human rights violations can be made anonymously via the Human Rights Hotline (Dial 100). The center receives calls daily, 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. Complaints can be made from all over Brazil by calling 100 directly and toll-free, via WhatsApp (61) 99611-0100, or via the Human Rights Brazil app.