HOUSTON – When you think of nursing homes you don't normally envision protests but that's exactly what took place at a facility Thursday in south Houston.
A few dozen demonstrators turned out in the hopes of getting access to 87-year-old Doris Davis at the La Hacienda Nursing and Rehab Center on West Orem near the Buffalo Speedway.
"I've stepped up to the plate to see what we can do to certainly try and get her removed from this situation," says niece Monica Shaw.
Davis's relatives and supporters say she is here after simply having chest pains in the spring of 2014, being misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's, and assigned an attorney by Harris County to oversee her estate. Video recorded by a supporter inside the facility appears to show Ms. Davis appears jovial and lucid. But her family says the attorney assigned as her guardian has sought to sell her home and other assets to pay for his fees.
"We have doctors, expert testimony to say that she is not incapacitated," says Shaw. "That information has been given to the courts as requested and to date she still has not been released from the program."
Channel 2 has yet to connect with Harris County but in a statement a nursing home spokesperson says that it "abides by Texas law on guardianship under the Harris County Guardianship Program of which Ms. Davis is currently a ward. Our caregivers look forward to continuing to ensure the safety and well-being of Ms. Davis."
Ms. Davis' supporters say that she is scheduled to have a hearing on the matter in court next week, but they claim she was told by attorney that she did not have to be there.