They were probably buying dope with this poor woman's Social Security. Later in life I have no doubt, they'll each reap what they've sown, even after they each do lengthy prison terms.

Those were my thoughts exactly. The I couldn't imagine the suffering that this woman was going through. The five that have been charged should rot in prison and that may be too good for them. How sad........

Don't jump to conclusions, didn't the Breitbart incident teach you anything??

AKRandy, you're ridiculous. This is a human being that this happened to, not some soapbox to get your political message across. I'm glad somebody finally called 911 to come get her. My thoughts are with her, hoping she feels better soon.

Exactly. What goes around, comes around. Their children who witnessed to or were a part of this will do the same thing to them one day.

"When they do a thorough investigation, they will find that no one has done anything wrong in terms of caring for this woman or getting treatment for this woman," he said.

The woman and the five family members all lived together in a second-floor apartment in Fall River.

City police would not answer questions about the case, but in a statement said that family members called 911 because the woman was incoherent, "a condition that was first noticed several days earlier but no action was taken."

First - if the lawyer defending this DIRT thinks they did nothing wrong....let them take care of him in his old age, or better yet...have him pay to have that dirt care for his elderly mother...ya think he would go for it???

Second - I don't care what anyone thinks, there is something going on in that house with drugs. Four healthy adults living together in an apartment with a living human sitting in a recliner being left to die and not a thing being done to help her - ya - there has to be drugs involved and I bet they were spending her checks. Because if that wasn't the case, you know in a heart beat they would have dumped her off for state care and never saw her again. The shame is, we will never know if this woman that was left in the chair was a good mother to that dirt or if she treated them badly and they were getting revenge. Either way karma is a bitch. Sick sick sick sick sick.

During a bail hearing Tuesday, Karen Cabral's lawyer, Kenneth van Colen, said the elderly woman had been in a slow decline, which accelerated in the few days before the family called 911 for help. He said the family asked her to go to the hospital and bought applesauce and other soft food to try to get her to eat. He said she rejected their offers to help her bathe.

"When they do a thorough investigation, they will find that no one has done anything wrong in terms of caring for this woman or getting treatment for this woman," he said.

If the woman did refuse care... then... what could they have done? Of course, that's a big IF... I'm not totally ready to believe him, or the cops... the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

You must be new to this planet.

At least they didn't eat her.

It sounds cruel, but all we 'know' is what the story told us. The rest is left to our imagination.

Considering that they were living in an apartment, and that her 'caretakers' were about 50, meaning they reached adulthood in the late 70's, I suspect it's just as likely as anything that they were part 1) ashamed to be in the situation 2) in denial that they were in the situation 3) really had no idea just what to do and 4) just 'grossed out' by the situation and probably doing whatever they could to avoid having to deal with it.

Having to care for somebody like that isn't such a big deal - after you've had to do it. If you're totally new to it, it can be incredibly daunting. Its entirely possible none of them had ever been through anything like this before. Being young in the 80's and 90's was a fairly cushy ride for a good many people.

Since they were all living together in an apartment, I'm pretty sure there were some imposing financial conditions, most likely low income, and the couple could have either been unaware of what options were available to them (as in, afraid to ask for fear of possibly finding there were none) or they could've been some of those people who knew they couldn't afford to place her in a care facility but at the same time couldn't stand the idea of having to rely on any form of charity or welfare.

It never hurts to think through all the possible explanations before rendering a judgement. You never know when you may be faced with the same, or at least a similar, situation someday.

Baloney. I took care of my mother for a time. I was only 34 at the time.

Apparently, the judge did not think your same toughts instead, he gave them all a hefty bail!

Tigor- you obviously have been in a situation like this, and used the same lame excuses! You are the one jumping to conclusions being so prety sure about the low income. There was not much left to the imagination here at all-at bare minimun, 8 hours, 8 days or 80 years- NO human deserves to be left in their own waste for any length of time! I have been a caregiver for my 96 year old grandmother for 4 years- and not a fraction of anything like this would have or could have ever happened and I only really met her when she was 94! I also think you must be an idiot.

I wouldn't treat an animal like that, let alone my mother! You can list as many excuses as you please, it doesn't change the fact that there is some serious problems in that household. My first guess, drugged up idiots. Uneducated fools are no excuse either. They just all seem to be oblivious to another's pain & suffering....how truly sad! Cold hearts of stone for sure. Even if I thought there was no help out there, I'd be marching on the steps of City Hall if my mother needed help. There's enough information out there these days about help that your comments just seem ridiculous. And what was that stupid comment about the 70's? I am 50, grew up in the late 70's and I PROMISE you if anything I am MORE intuned to the suffering of others, not in denial of the situation....that was just an incredibly idiot remark. I get it that you're looking for some excuse to this crazy behavior, because "normal" people wouldn't behave this way. But if we all continue to make excuses and go boo hoo for you for their bad behavior, it will continue to the end of time. What happened to people being responsible for their actions? Sorry there dearie, I say lock them up for a good long time. They had no compassion for this elderly lady who couldn't help herself, so I have no compassion for them. Even if she was the worst mother ever known to man, they should've sent her to a place to live where she would've been taken care of....aaah, but then her checks would go to that facility instead of them, right?

I took care of my mother for years. I was 15 at the time I started until her unfortunate passing away in 2007. She had a stroke and a severe heart condition. I would NEVER have done this to my own mother. This is absolutely disgusting to me that people do this. And honestly as sad as it is it happens alot. I have to agree it is difficult at first but you know what.. Thats the person that raised you and changed you and took care of you. Take whats called responibility and compassion and do the same. Its called CARING for someone for a reason. I had to bathe, cook, clean, dress, any everything in between for my Mother and I would do it again in a heartbeat if giving that chance again. ...

I left a part out of that .. All my other family wanted to do was take her SSI and her belongings .. It was sick. Thank god I was able to stop them from doing that. I ended up getting an attorney for her to handle her finances I was to young to do anything other than that. I understand this situation all to well. People will use anyone for money and possessions its digusting. Family is the quickest to do it.

I'm 52 and took care of my momma till she passed away May 11 of this year. For several years i took care of here with no outside help, but back in January we brought in Lynda, momma's caregiver, who was worth her weight in gold, and she helped out 4-5 hours a day while I was at work. We're not rich - here in Ohio there is a program called Senior Options & the Passport Program, and everything was based on mom's social security income. Wheelchair, hospital bed, shower chair, etc. In March of this year, hospice started helping. I guess what i'm saying is there is is absolutly no excuse for this to happen to an elderly person. If it gets to be too much for you to handle alone, there are all sorts of programs to help you out! Those folks that allowed this to happen to this poor soul should be horsewhipped.

In some ways I think this is a case of indifference, which can be worse than cruelty. Terrible, terrible situation in any event.

Teresa 1980458 (post 2.6),

You are correct that I have been in that situation. I had no real choice but to rise to the occasion and get the job done, no excuses needed. It was tough going and most people I know couldn't handle it. It just about did me in at the time.

Let's talk about jumping to conclusions for a moment. With that many people living in a rented apartment, there is likely a reason why. Given the economy lately, money is an issue for just about anyone, and it's the one thing powerful enough to bend a lot of people's principles. If money wasn't an object, I'm certain they'd have gotten some professional help taking care of her, either by hiring a home healthcare worker or placing her in a care facility. Please note that I said NOTHING about what the family may be doing with her SS checks. I recall nothing mentioned about those in the story, so the idea many are suggesting that the family is misappropriating them is purely assumption. I also didn't make any mention of any lifestyle habits they may have. Again, we know nothing about that, so all one could do is to infer, which isn't fair to them. It's easy to just slam people, but just because someone fails in something important doesn't mean they're degenerate freaks, quite often they're otherwise mostly normal people who had a hangup somewhere. It could happen to anyone in one form or another, although in this case it was a very tragic form.

It's too bad that you 'also think I'm an idiot', for that says much about you to have included that opinion. Besides the fact that you know nothing about me and are mistaken on what you claim to have gathered so far, you claim you've been taking care of your 96 year old grandmother for 4 years, but that you only met her when she was 94. Granted, mathematics was never my strong point, but observing people is. It would seem you know a thing or two about idiots, as well you should.

Your air of superiority in your post and the absolutist positions you take make me wonder just what it is you're hiding. That's okay, trust me, I really don't want to know.

Your closing comment, if I had to make a guess, would be your feelings because I am willing to not condemn people I've never met based on incomplete information. If that's what makes me an idiot, so be it. They say it takes one to know one, but I'm not sure that is entirely true in your case. May you have no 'idiots' in your life, especially when you're down and need someone to give you the benefit of the doubt!

Your post brought tears to my eyes. I feel the same way about my folks, although

they are older they are not in need of care from me.

You are a GOOD PERSON SIR!

klfred your a good kid to your folks.

I just can't grasps the idea of letting your own mother and or father suffer like that. What kind of Kids did they raise? Just sickning. I would never place my folks in a home or let suffer. I would do what ever it takes to take care of them. they were here for me so I will be there for them.

This whole thing is terrible. I dont even like my mother but i would never do something like that. Though i dont think i would take care of my parents personally (im not a very maternal person but at least i admit it) I would never let something like that happen, or just throw them in a home without fully checking it out and keeping up with that to be sure they are treated well. What is wrong with people?

Mark, you might want to rethink that. Would you want them caring for YOUR parents?

I agree with Santana .. rethink what you are wishing for Mark. I think you will.

I could see me in this postion. I have an abusive son . Unfortunately .. I have no close friends or other relatives that I could count on or trust. I often thought think about this. I don't have a clue who I could turn to, to get advise on what I can do to prevent this from happening to me when I become disabled. Its horrifying to even think of this.

Any suggestions out there?

Eastside Chicago Gal,

My heart breaks for you that you are in such a sad situation. I would encourage you to contact senior services in your area. They would be able to help you or at least be able to point you in a direction to get help for you. AARP might be a good resource for you as well.

Call your local social services department and report your son that you are a vunerable adult and being abused.

Eastside-ChicagoGal, Contact your county or state Senior Services, tell them what you've written here and start working with them. Also, do some family research and find what relatives that you do have.

Have the phone #'s for the local social services office close at hand to call them yourself if you feel you need their assistance. They may be able to assist you with setting up a living will to ensure you are taken care of in the event you become disabled or need assistance when you get older. There are attorneys out there that can assist you in drawing up the legal documents and further advise you.

I've already tried that .. called the cops on him once and " I " ( yes,me ! ) ended up in jail. The cops believed him and his girlfriend and arrested me. No joke ! Thank goodness I was allowed to bail myslef out with a C C. He was a no show for court.

By the way .. I'm a long ways away from 80 .. I just made the comment about me seeing this happening to me one day.

to Eastside-ChicagoGal - please find an advocate ASAP. There has to be a state agency on aging in your area. My heart breaks for you. Please get help right away. You need an advocate.

eastside, you might also want to review/create your will. Not sure if you would like to have your son on it or not. Just remember, if you get incapiciated or die without one, he'll be your guardian or heir.

ElkMeadow ....

The rest of my family is worse than my son.

Right now I am the care giver to my brother who has severe Downs Syndrome .. I've had him with me for 20 years now .. IF I ever get my freedom where I can go talk to the proper people I plan on seeing what I can do for my own protection. The trouble is .. these senior places that everyone is mentioning aren't like you all think they are. I've been through a lot of different things in my life and needed state help / care for my brother and got nothing. My husband was in a nursing home in Indiana and Illinois and they were horrible .. he ended up with serious injuries due to lack of care .. he fell out of bed 2 times .. the man sharing the room with him called for 15 minutes for help b4 anyone came .. I really don't believe there is a "safe" place to go to or people you can trust. Northwest Indiana is really bad and that is where I live now.

Maybe a punishment (beside jail time) would be for them to spend some time in the same condition they left their mother/granmother in.

There are home health services that can come to your home to aid you in the care of your brother and you (when that time comes). There are also assisted living communities out there where you move into a house or apartment where you live and if assistance is needed your house or apartment is linked to an main house where assistance will be dispatched. There is help out there, but we have to do some intensive research and now is the time to start not when you need it, but do remember that will.......that is really important so that you will not be left in your sons care.

There is a home in Greenville, Maine that won 1st place within the state selections, and 7th place in the country out of 7,000 . My sister stays there and she has SP and she loves the place. She said she wouldn't leave there for any other place to live

If you are being abused in any way by your son PLEASE PLEASE call Adult Protective Services. Nobody should have to live with abuse especially children and the elderly, those less capable to do something about it. It's so sad to hear that someone doesn't have any other close friends or relatives to turn to so you may just have to reach out to organizations in your area. I don't know your complete situation but maybe there's a possibility of getting in home health care that medicare or medicaid will pay for. Don't give up on reaching out.....as you can see by the responses on here, there are good decent people out there.

Eastside-having grown up in NW Indiana I may be able to help you. Try contacting these people http://www.homehealthcarenwindiana.com/ when you need to. And this link will provide you with some direction http://www.eldercarelink.com/Provider/Listing/Private_In_Home_Care/Indiana/1/Highland-IN

Having some familiarity in the area and family who work in the "social services" aspects in NW Indiana I have a few clues on hunting these places down. Hope this helps, be well!

I will not (cannot) have children so my care when I am elderly will be left to me, myself and I. I am only 35 and my husband is 38 but we have started preparing for the day when we will not be as capable. My advice to you Eastside is to put aside what you can financially and start researching assisted living facilities. They are not all bad and there must be some that will meet your needs. You should also look into a good whole life insurance policy that allows you to draw off of it if you are in need. I have one that will allow me to draw up to 75% of the value if I am diagnosed with a terminal illness. It can be used for whatever I want, so I could take that trip to Ireland that I always wanted, or be responsible and pay off my medical bills so my family won't have to.

Do set up a living will and find someone you can trust to speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself, otherwise it will be your son. Then, if you can, try to get your son to go to family counseling with you; perhaps you can work it out and have a better relationship in the future which will be to your benefit both in that you and your son will have a loving relationship and in that you will have someone you can trust to take care of you.

I would also recommend looking into a long term care policy while you are still young and it's affordable. Ask any insurance agent about it and they will point you in the right direction.

Unfortunately, this state is so "progressive/liberal" that there is no capital punishment. The perps will just end-up (at worst) in prison leeching off of the taxes we pay for. If they get sick in prison, the state pays for their care.

Jango, where in my post did I say they should be denied medical treatment. I simply stated that they will get better treatment while in state custody than how they treated their own relative. Who do you think is retarded?

How do we know this isn't already a case of what comes around goes around. Maybe this mother abused her children. I am not condoning what happened and think it is tragic and disgusting, but how did her child become such a monster? If this were a younger person doing something to a stranger we'd all be point our finger at the parents and crying bad parenting.

Again, I am not making assumptions or saying that this poor woman deserved to be abused because no one does and I do not know the whole story so I make no judgement other than this: if you do not want to properly care for a family member in need, no matter the situation, then do not say you are going to do so; do not leave someone to rot because you are angry with them, too lazy or too drug addicted to care, put them in a facility that will help them and you will not find your dirty laundry being aired on the 6 o'clock news.

It's called greed. Happens to many people. It happened within my family. My Mother and Father were amazing parents. And still ...all anyone wanted was the money and possessions.

Or she spent her life NOT caring for them. If all or most of her children were involved, I suspect they had pretty serious deficits in the way they were raised.

Thank you Maggie Mae for stating the obvious that no one else apparently thought of.

My mom has lived with me for the past 3 yrs and though I plan to keep her with me, I have no idea how much longer I will be able to keep her....for her sake and mine. She has early dementia and alzheimers plus crippling arthritis. Once independent and vibrant, she has now become depressed, evil, lying, manuevering, and spoiled. It is not easy taking care of her and doing so has caused my own health to faulter, however, I still do it and yes, sometimes resentfully, but never to the point where I would cause her harm.

Many folks don't know that there is help out there. Governmmental programs, church programs, organizations who can help the senior citizen and the caregiver, but you don't know without researching them. Depending on the caregivers background and education, they may not know what to do. Heck, they might not even know that they are a caregiver especially when for so long, many familys have always live together or are now living together due to financial reasons.

Also, depending on the senior citizen, thier illness, their actions and comments, they may not be cooperative with meds, bathing, eating, doctor visits or general care. They get stubborn and throw out "I'm the parent", ""Don't tell me what to do" , etc. It also get's rough especially when you and other family members are in denial and are not educated enough to recognize and research medical and emotional warning signs.

Yes, the people mentioned in this article may have been "users" but they could also be, sad to say, 'totally uninformed'. Yes, the fact that this lady lived in this environment is horrible, but don't be too quick to judge and sentence her family till you have all of the details.

With this becoming the age where many are caring for their elders, it is important to do some research on what options are available and share that info. It is just as important to watch and talk to your elderly neighbors, friends, family members and strangers because you may have to report what could be adult abuse, intentionally or unintentionally given. It might save a life.

Mama's Keeper, very well said. I have had my mother with me for 2 years. She is entering late stage dementia and does not remember things from seconds ago. Arthritis in her feet and hip problems keep her from walking. Anyone who says it is easy to take of someone in that condition would not be telling the truth. It is hard work every day. As you describe, they can become argumentative, insulting, totally ungrateful, etc. While it is easy to understand why they are that way it is not always easy to live with it. Even with all that, I will continue to take care of my mother as long as I am able. I find it hard to accept any reason for those people letting that happen. It is disgusting. I would rather stick my mother in a state facility than see her live like that.

My mother was 60 when she passed away in June. She died in the hospital of septic shock. A infection in the blood. It is a horrible way to die and I can't even begin to think of what type of person leaves their mother alone like that. I spent many years taking care of my mom and I just don't see how any person wouldn't do the same.

I miss my mom so much and would give anything to have one more moment with her and these people could care less. It really breaks my heart and just brings forth all those feelings of losing my mom again.

healthymimi - I am sorry for your loss....I work in the medical field and yes septic shock is horrible. God Bless You.....

Healthymimi- I completely understand you on this one. And for those people who state that maybe it was her being a bad Mother so on.. My mother with having a stroke and congestive heart failure became aggressive, depressed, a liar, and down right mean at times. But you know what.. That's your Mother, if it wasn't for her , you wouldn't be here. What I wouldn't give for one more moment with her.

Why do you need to make this about politics??? I am no Republican (notice that I can actually spell the word) but this divisive talk about which party is "more American" is fruitless. Stop it already.

Republicans? Its the Democrats that want to take from hard working people and give their hard earned money to a lazy @ss people who use the money for illegal drugs.

What a bag of crap you are. People who make comments like this give me big reason to worry.

Jake, you spelled it the same dumb @ss.

Uhmmm "couldn't care less" ... you might want to look again at the 2 spellings ............

We WON!!! You LOST.. When replublican'ts

Jake-2004419 Republican (notice that I can actually spell the word)

Doesn't MA have a public health care system...... I believe everyone in MA does, so why is she withering at her house with available care? Isn't that the point of the gov't system?

Heaven help us all if this is what gov't health care leads to, surte looks like a bad idea that costs us all in the end.

Thanks Sue....I didn't think I was seeing things. Sad that people are so quick to name call.

I'm no Republican, but, for heaven's sake, is the right forum for poitics!? Get a grip - cruelty knows no boundaries and bullies show up in every group. Please, let's not make everything about our political differences.,

Hmmmm, how did "republican'ts" become a contributing factor in MA? Massachusetts is a state run by a Democrat Governor (Deval Patrick). The state senate majority is Democrat (state senate president is Theresa Murray). The Attorney General is a Democrat (Martha Coakley). Keep politics out of this, especially when you don't know what you're talking about!

what the hell has republican got to do with this? your a nutcase

So I screwed up spelling a bad word. Yep,there are scumbag republican'ts (not deserving of Capital letters) in Mass. Ever heard of Mitt Romney??? Clowns.

As a matter of fact we have. Still no idea how you connected this cruelty to a political party. What's even more interesting is how you (and others here) so easily revert to name-calling. Care to do that face-to-face?

LOL.....okay, fight out on the playground after school.....yeeeaaaahhhh. Okay boys, back to the issue, although I must admit...it did make me chuckle a little....thanks guys!

Y NOT SMILE?:

:-) Agree with you 100%. The issue here was about the abhorrent circumstances the poor woman was found in.

[rant on]

I just wonder about some of the people who post here without regard for their manners. The internet has created some vile people who think they can just spew insults at others without consequences due to anonimity. Hence my question.

I happen to have worked in corrections, and am now in mainstream law-enforcement. I can guarantee you, it would be my badge if I didn't watch my tongue when dealing with people. I treat people, especially when I don't know anything about them, with the utmost respect, because that is how I would expect to be treated. Look a few posts up and see where someone called me a retard and a moron in a single post.

My point is these people have the same kind of mentality that they are supposedly condemning.

[rant off]

Toni in Mass,yeah big boy I'll say whatever I said,to your face....count on it. BFFB 1%er NOW,when you gonna come see me???

You are more than welcome Jake !!!

I dont know how anyone could have missed that. It stuck out like a sore thumb when I first saw it.

And Yes, I wish ppl would just slow down, read what is printed, and think before they speak. Especially if they choose to call others Names.

Hello,

It is sad, so terribly sad, when human suffering devolves into political rants and insults.

Be Well,

We WON!!! You LOST..

I rest my case. You're obviously too scared to come to me... that you're asking me to waste my time coming to you. Anytime, anytime...

Feel brave there, keyboard commando???

All:

I just want to point out that We WON!!! You LOST..'s last post saying "BFFB 1%er" means he is claiming to be a member of the Bandidos, a gang that supposedly has "given up on society and politicans' one-way laws". Him pointing this out, I guess, is supposed to intimidate me.

Funny, from his posts here, he is attacking one political party, but definitely showing his contempt for society. And I'm not intimidated. :-) I've dealt with worse.

This will be my last post on this subject. He can spew more garbage. I can't waste my time with that.

Perspective and restraint are always necessary (and sometimes in short supply) but suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand seems counterproductive to me.

I'm not sure I'll ever follow the argument that not informing the public about the horrors of the world will somehow make the world a less horrible place.

I just can't believe we would be better off by just reporting the rosy stuff. The public needs to know this kind of horrible thing happens. The only way we can change things is to know about them. What a weird way of thinking???

My Mom just passed away at 91 and I had her with me until her last breath. Not a single day did I regret her being there. It is ,at times difficult to deal with the physical aspects of caring for an elderly person, but the reward of having her with me for that long was amazing. My greatest joy was to see her smile.

These people are just plain scumbags.

rose i agree completely with you.. scumbags

I am shocked that a human being could do something like this to another human being, much less 5 people letting this happen to their own mother, such a sad story.

You are obvious a loving caring person. The animals described in the story are not.

agreed... and we think we are evolving into a higher/more sophisticated form of life.