Tulsa, OK — A Tulsa family is suing a Glenpool Nursing Home Facility after their loved one, Thomas Lee Hallford, was found dead in his room with a plastic bag tied around his neck. He was 79 years old, had advanced Parkinson’s disease, and could not care for himself.
The lawsuit says that staff gave him strong medication to reduce his sex drive after he accidentally urinated in a hallway. He was confused and disoriented but instead of helping him, the staff locked his room from the outside and gave him drugs without even doing a full exam.
His daughter, Yonna Creason, says the family was never called when he died. Instead, the Sheriff’s Department contacted her and said his death was suspicious. They were investigating the bag around his head. He had last been seen around 2:45 PM. He was found dead just before 5 PM, “alone.”
At the same time, staff from the facility were at a nearby public event promoting the company and talking about protecting seniors from fraud.
“This case is not just about Mr. Hallford,” said Don Smolen, the family’s attorney.
“It’s about how this company treated a vulnerable man. He needed care, but instead he was locked away and drugged. His death could have been prevented.”
The lawsuit says that the Glenpool Nursing Home Facility has had several related companies worked together to target seniors with good insurance, like Mr. Hallford, and make money off them while ignoring their real medical needs.
The case accuses them of:
“His room was locked. He couldn’t even tie his shoes or stand up,” Smolen said. “And they found him with a plastic bag tied around his neck. That’s not just wrong, it’s horrifying.”
The lawsuit is filed in Tulsa County under case number CJ-2024-01344. The family is asking for damages of more than $75,000 to cover medical bills, burial costs, emotional pain, and more.
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