DTWNews

he Detroit Police Department has reported that the body of a senior citizen has been found in a dumpster behind a long-term care facility.

Ralph Ford, 73, had been a resident of St. Francis Nursing Center on Cadillac Boulevard, but he was not reported missing until after his body was discovered.

According to Detroit’s ABC 7 News, the man was found covered in clothes. While his autopsy points to death via natural causes, the death has raised a great deal of suspicion to the point where the Detroit Police Department are conducting a thorough investigation.

On Monday, construction workers found Ford’s body. Hours later, the St. Francis Nursing Center called police to report the man as “serious missing.”

Since Monday, the nursing home has been under investigation by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, representatives of which were seen at the facility all day Thursday. However, a spokesman with the Department declined to comment whether or not the investigation was tied to Ford’s death.

Additionally, the management at the nursing center refused to comment.

As the baby boomer generation reaches the age of retirement, the rate of assisted living care is expected to skyrocket. In fact, by 2050, the number of individuals using long term assisted living care is expected to skyrocket to 27 million people — that’s double the number of individuals recorded in 2000.

Despite these climbing numbers, the state of assisted living homes have been constantly in question, as far as level of care, sanitation, and ethics are concerned. Although many say that quality has improved at assisted living centers, reports state that these claims are largely backed by self-reported data. Meanwhile, an onslaught of negative press and disheartening stories in the news tell a completely different story.

Experts advise individuals with loved ones in nursing homes to watch out for the signs of abuse and neglect, which include sudden weight loss, bedsores, unexplained injuries, withdrawal or changes in behavior, and environmental hazards such as broken equipment or an unkempt environment.