At least two grandchildren of Violet Moss Brown, the world’s oldest person who died on Friday at the age of 117 years old, believe that, had she not been taken “against her wishes” from her Duanvale residence to a medical facility six days prior, she would have been still alive today.
“There was nothing much wrong with her. She was a little dehydrated and a doctor who came to see her said all she needed was a little potassium… so there was no good reason why they had to take her to any medical facility last Saturday (September 9),” Lelieth Palmer, one of Moss Brown’s grandchildren told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
According to Palmer, Moss Brown, better known in the Duanvale community as “Aunt V”, was removed on the instruction of a family member and under the watchful eyes of the police at 11:00 pm on the Saturday to a medical facility in Montego Bay, despite the fact that she made it clear that she did not want to go.
“She did not want to go; but later she begged them not to take her unless they were going to take her back home. They didn’t take her back, and so they took her away from her loved ones and family members and that contributed significantly to her death,” Palmer argued.
Vernon Davis, another of Aunt V’s grandchildren, echoed similar sentiments.
“If they didn’t take her from her house she would be still alive today,” Moss Brown’s teary-eyed grandson said yesterday.
“They took her away from her comfort zone; took away her freedom; took away her dignity, and take her to a strange place where she had no family and friends, and didn’t even tell some of us where she was.”
Palmer claimed she and other relatives of Moss Brown were treated in that manner by other family members because “persons” thought that she was making a lot of money from the Violet Moss Foundation, which she (Palmer) formed in recent years.
“I formed a foundation for her and (a family member) thought that I was making a lot of money from it and, also because I was the voice of the family and took the initiative on a number projects (the family member) wanted me to step back,” she argued.
She added that, as part of the scheme to undermine her, a retired nurse who was one of her grandmother’s caregivers was dismissed last month, even though she was volunteering her service.
(The family member) “fired one of her caregivers in August because (the family member) wanted to sideline me and put strangers in charge of her. (The family member) believes I was too close to my grandmother,” said Palmer, a Florida resident who has spent a lot of time with her grandmother in recent years.
Moss Brown reportedly died at Fairfield Medical Centre in Montego Bay at about 2:30 pm last Friday.
In April this year she became the world’s oldest living person following the death of Italian Emma Morano, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records for her longevity.
Since then, a number of government officials, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, had visited her in her deep rural community, where she lived all of her life.
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and Opposition Leader Peter Phillips had also visited “Aunt V”.
On September 3, Moss Brown was paid a visit by representatives of the G uinness Book of Records, who presented her with a citation and the 2018 edition of the Guinness Book of Records.
Moss Brown reportedly accepted the award with her usual broad smile, as she expressed gratitude.
Yesterday, when the Sunday Observer visited the community, a number of residents expressed shock and regret at the passing of the history-making supercentenarian.
Among them was Moss Brown’s close friend Joy Laesch.
“It’s so unbelievable to know this is how she left us… lonely and sad; none of her loved ones around, even though she kept asking for them… so undeserving,” said Laesch, who said she had known Moss Brown for almost five years, and has been writing stories about her.
Councillor Dunstan Harper (JLP, Sherwood Content Division), in paying tribute to Moss Brown, described her as “a phenomenal woman who could reason with persons and had a wealth of knowledge about persons in the community”.
“Jamaica has lost an angel… she was kind, caring, compassionate, and loving,” said the politician, who had known Moss Brown for more than 50 years.
Others described “Aunt V” as a peacemaker, musician, a person who loved everybody and wanted everybody to love each other.
“She was everything that love defines,” Palmer stressed.
Rest in power Aunt V!!
Family members try sort out unno effery before smaddie dead over dead lef legacy!!Now is the time fi unno pull together cuz dats what Aunt V would have wanted!
Who surprised? Typical badmind Jamaicans. This is why we can’t progress as black people. RIP Aunt V.
Oh boy…Nurse lady you should have been smart enough to draw up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), which would have taken that menacing family member out of the picture.
Now…you ungrateful lot should be thankful the lady live so long and celebrate. No! Here you bums are arguing to the world! DISGRACEFUL!
My grand lived beyond 100 and she had the greatest time of her life with catered events and such…we closed her life chapter in the same manner. The only snag was making sure her funeral was grand.
Unu not even bury the woman and a carry on already. The dead lef a unu next fight 😀 disgusting!
Jamaican culture and money never a surprise no man so sad
RIP Aunt V. I worked at a care facility and this is normal for a person to die shortly after being placed there as they just give up the will to live. They are not in the comforts of their familiar surroundings. I used the analogy before of Usain’s parents not wanting to leave their home despite their son being a millionaire. Same with this lady, she didnt want to leave and bad mine mek di woman dead inna strange place without her family members. *Sigh*
Dem dash uno nasty ass in her grave too. Sick john crows, why uno nuh never leave the lady. Carrying ur parents to nursing home sometimes is the worst u can do. They feel comfortable at home.
Kmt, what did they really expect? How you going to move an 117 year old from her surroundings, dem kill of Aunt V..and mek her uncomfortable in her lasting days. Her death should have been a celebration of good life.
Hope their conscious gives them restless nights…SLEEP IN LOVING PEACE
If her potassium did low den two banana or couple young coconut is all she needed. You nuh relocate a person ova low potassium. Even fimmi potassium low from time to time mi nuh move miself guh live somewhere else sakea dat, mi just redo mi diet or teck some vitamins.
Ppl fi realize seh nutten is ever as it seems. If a foundation set up nuh fiddi lady glory, dat nuh call fi no friction cause di most more she could have lived is bout five years if nature allowed it, suh unno set out fi meck har likkle time precious. What money could be making off di foundation weh unno think anyone could get rich off of it. Summen like dat a just fi meck di world know of her and highlight seh Jamaica produce some long livers, nuh ongle dat would come out of such a foundation. Any person thinking otherwise must be full bound crazy as hell. Please get unnoselves togedda and nuh cause no disgrace pon har name. Swallow unno prides and unquenchable egos and leggo dis before it guh furda.