King Talk: South Side - Chicago In one of the more heart wrenching interviews I've ever done Mary Mims described the demise of her daughter 36 year old daughter. When she showed us the images of her bed sore ridden body I couldn't believe that such suffering could be endured. We attended Letasha's funeral and then met with Ms. Mims at her home and listened to her story. Mary Mims prays during the memorial service for her daughter Letasha Mims, who died at age 36 in August 2014 after having lived at the Alden Wentworth nursing home on Chicago’s South Side. The younger Mims had decubitus ulcers and lost close to 60 pounds, her mother said. The nursing home declined to comment. In 2012, shortly after Letasha Mims was admitted to the nursing home, Alden Wentworth received a $10.6 million loan backed by the federal government at 2.5 percent interest. From 2009 to August 2014 about 240 nursing homes across the country received government-guaranteed mortgages worth more than $1.9 billion the month after receiving the lowest possible rating, a 1-star rating, for overall quality from the federal government, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. Alden Wentworth had a 2-star rating for quality when it received the HUD-backed mortgage. Jeff Kelly Lowenstein has done a year long national investigation into nursing home staffing, racial disparities and government backed mortgages. Photo by @jonlowenstein #nursinghomes #elderabuse #seniors by everydayusa