By Mark Pruitt
In an era where government overreach and institutional failure seem to dominate headlines, few stories cut as deep as what happened to Mary Claudia Jones Barthelmeh—known lovingly as “Memom” to her granddaughter Candace Esham. What began as a family’s trust in a Delaware assisted living facility during the COVID-19 lockdowns became a harrowing tale of government-sanctioned isolation, institutional neglect, and ultimately, a grandmother’s preventable death.
But this isn’t just another story about government failure. It’s about what happens when an American refuses to accept “that’s just how things are” and decides to fight back—not just for their own family, but for every vulnerable senior citizen being failed by a broken system.
Candace Esham’s new book, “Locked Out: Elder Neglect And The Keys To Change,” published by Defiance Press and Publishing, is a searing indictment of how COVID-19 policies destroyed the basic human dignity of our most vulnerable citizens. More importantly, it’s a blueprint for how ordinary Americans can take on entrenched bureaucracies and win.
When Government “Protection” Becomes Deadly Isolation
Memom wasn’t just any nursing home resident. She was a World War II-era cadet nurse who dedicated her career to caring for the elderly at Delaware’s Hospital for the Chronically Ill. She understood healthcare, understood quality care, and at 96, still possessed the sharp mind and fighting spirit that had carried her through decades of service to others.
But none of that mattered when Delaware Governor John Carney declared a state of emergency on March 12, 2020. Overnight, families were locked out of long-term care facilities. Memom, like thousands of other seniors across the country, was cut off from the people who loved her most—the very people who had always been her advocates and protectors.
What followed reads like a horror story that could only emerge from the intersection of government overreach and institutional incompetence. While facility staff claimed they were “protecting” residents from COVID-19, they were actually condemning them to something far worse: abandonment, neglect, and in Memom’s case, a slow, painful death from a preventable infection.
Esham’s meticulous documentation reveals how a simple foot wound—something that could have been easily treated with proper care and family oversight—was allowed to fester for months. The facility’s nursing staff documented the progression of the wound from September 2020, but never informed the family. By the time Memom was finally rushed to the hospital in February 2021, sepsis and MRSA had ravaged her body. She died eleven days later, alone and in agony.
The Conservative Case for Accountability
What makes Esham’s story particularly compelling from a conservative perspective is how it demonstrates the fundamental importance of family involvement in care decisions. This isn’t about expanding government—it’s about ensuring that existing laws are enforced and that families retain their rightful role as advocates for their loved ones.
Esham discovered that while Delaware claimed to be following “science” and “expert guidance,” states like Florida had successfully maintained family visitation rights without the catastrophic outcomes predicted by bureaucrats. Florida’s approach recognized what conservatives have always known: families, not government officials, are the best advocates for their own members.
The numbers don’t lie. According to Esham’s research, Florida had the lowest resident COVID-19 death rate per 100 residents at 0.44, while Delaware’s rate was 1.02. Florida’s policies protecting family access didn’t just preserve human dignity—they actually saved lives.
Fighting the System and Winning
Rather than simply grieving and moving on, Esham did what every conservative believes Americans should do when government fails: she got educated, got organized, and got results. Her journey from grieving granddaughter to effective advocate offers a masterclass in how to take on entrenched interests and win.
Esham didn’t just complain—she studied the system. She learned the regulatory framework, researched best practices from other states, and built coalitions with other families who had suffered similar losses. She approached the problem like the manufacturing engineer she is, identifying root causes and developing systematic solutions.
Most importantly, she refused to be intimidated by the “that’s just how things are” crowd. When industry lobbyists claimed that improved oversight would force facilities to close, Esham countered with research showing how better standards actually improve both care quality and business outcomes. When politicians claimed workforce shortages made improvements impossible, she pointed to successful programs in other states that had solved similar challenges.
The Results Speak for Themselves
By the end of the 2024 Delaware legislative session, Esham’s Delaware Elder Care Advocacy Coalition had achieved something unprecedented: the passage of six unanimous, bipartisan bills reforming long-term care oversight. These weren’t cosmetic changes—they were substantial reforms requiring annual facility inspections, increasing penalties for violations, mandating specialized dementia care training, and creating transparency requirements that give families the information they need to make informed decisions.
This is conservative governance at its best: holding institutions accountable, empowering families, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars support quality care rather than just warehousing seniors.
A Message for the Defiance Community
Esham’s story will resonate deeply with listeners of “The Defiance Daily Show” because it embodies everything our movement stands for. She faced a system that told her to sit down, shut up, and accept that her grandmother’s death was just the unfortunate cost of “keeping everyone safe.” Instead, she stood up, spoke out, and forced that system to change.
Her book offers hope to anyone who has ever felt powerless against bureaucratic indifference. It shows that with determination, proper preparation, and unwavering principles, ordinary Americans can still move mountains—even when those mountains are staffed with lobbyists, protected by politicians, and defended by “experts” who profit from the status quo.
Looking Forward
When Roberts and Pruitt sit down with Candace Esham for what promises to be a powerful interview on “The Defiance Daily Show,” listeners will hear from someone who has walked through the valley of loss and emerged not just stronger, but victorious. Her grandmother’s death was a tragedy that never should have happened. But Memom’s legacy now lives on in laws that will protect countless other families from similar tragedies.
“Locked Out” is more than a book—it’s a call to action for everyone who believes that our seniors deserve better than institutional warehousing, that families know better than bureaucrats, and that American determination can still overcome entrenched interests.
In a time when so many feel powerless against the machine of modern government, Candace Esham proves that individual Americans armed with truth, determination, and proper strategy can still change the world—one law, one facility, one saved life at a time.
Candace Esham will be interviewed by Roberts and Pruitt on an upcoming episode of “The Defiance Daily Show.” “Locked Out: Elder Neglect And The Keys To Change” is available from Defiance Press and Publishing.
Mark Pruitt co-hosts “The Defiance Daily Show” and serves as Director of Author Acquisition at Defiance Press and Publishing. He is a former US Marine, retired Houston police officer, and business owner who believes in personal responsibility and rugged individualism.
