Alex Trelinski
AN ILLEGAL British-owned residential home in the Murcia region has been exposed after an unnamed 84-year old woman- also British- had to be rushed to hospital.
She was suffering from extreme dehydration and kidney failure at the unlicensed home based in the village of La Manchica in the Cartagena area.
The Pension Hakuna Matata-Rural Guest House is run by Brian K and Susan K and has operated since 2018 and includes the only bar in the village, which at the moment is ‘temporarily closed’.
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It is said to have up to 34 residents, all of which are British.
The couple bought three connected properties to set up a guest house and bar, as well as operating the nursing home under the name of ‘Casa Care’.
An ambulance team discovered the victim A.S. in her room which was in a deplorable state with cats, rubbish, excrement and animal urine.
An investigation by the El Diario news portal into the activities at La Manchica included first-hand testimony from a doctor about the conditions: “It is a very murky and strange place, where it is common for us to attend to very old people with serious pathologies who should not be there because of the state of the rooms.”
A nurse told El Diario about what was found when visiting A.S. “It was a disgusting room, and inside we saw an elderly woman who is already missing a kidney, completely neglected, struggling with severe dehydration.”
“She was on the verge of a coma and had been admitted to hospital a few days earlier for a strong blow to the head.”
The nurse says a complaint has been filed with the Guardia Civil and Cartagena’s Policia Local, while the doctor has contacted the Public Health department.
Meanwhile, A.S. Is now being cared for at an official nursing home.
‘Casa Care’ is branded via its website as a ‘senior citizen residence and assisted living’ that offers a ‘care service for you and your loved ones’.
It offers a range of services including access to an ‘experienced’ nurse of 32 years who is believed to be Susan K.
Prices- not including VAT- range from €100 for 24 hours of care to €2,000 for four weeks according to the website.
Local authorities including Murcia’s Ministry of Social Policy have confirmed the premises have never been licensed for health care or a nursing home.
Brian K’ told El Diario that the ‘residence closed 10 years ago,’ but videos and images of elderly residents have been posted online during the last year.
An unnamed British man from the area commented: “It’s a pretty weird place. The bar is almost never open.”
“Its the perfect place to set up a residence without a license: it’s in the middle of nowhere, with no one to watch over it,” he suggested to El Diario.
