Simmons said her brother, who has lived at the center for four years, had suffered numerous injuries because of inexperienced staff who aren't trained sufficiently by the experienced staff.

One of those injuries occurred when an inexperienced aide was using a lift to move Mike from his wheelchair to his bed, "shearing" his buttocks and leaving them raw.

"And Mike has had this done to him repeatedly," she said of the shearing.

She said staff gossips about the patients, which has created a prejudice against her brother.

Susan Simmons said she requested her brother's nursing records in April, which she has yet to receive. She believes that's because there are improper notes in his file about her brother.

When Mike Simmons' art supplies disappeared from the activities room, he was told by Weeks that they wouldn't be replaced because it was against rules and would be unfair to other veterans. Weeks said he couldn't make an exception.

Mike filed a complaint and when the art supplies were later replaced by the center, Mike refused them because he had been told it was against the rules.

Lindley said he had known and respected Mike Simmons for years, from when Simmons had the successful advertising and marketing agency Marcom. He said Simmons had lost his business and his home because of his illness, but had not lost his smarts.

Susan Simmons said ironically Mike used his marketing skills to help promote the center, including helping facilitate Hollywood actor James Garner's visit to the center in 2006.

Veteran Bruce Goodin has lived in the Norman Veterans Center for seven years and has similar stories to tell of being injured by inexperienced aides.

The 56-year-old Vietnam veteran, who also has multiple sclerosis, said he's suffering from an infected ankle because of an incorrect move on a lift by an inexperienced aide. He said the aide ran the back of his leg into the bed and when he went into spasms, his foot got caught behind the rail and twisted and skinned the ankle.

"My God, his foot swelled up the size of a football," said his brother Ray Goodin. "His foot is so swollen it looks like it's going to explode. If it wasn't this bad, I wouldn't just make this up."

Bruce said many times when the aides come in, they already have gloves on from the previous patient, which spreads infection.

He said one time an aide put fresh sheets on his bed and the sheets had feces on them because the aide had not changed to new gloves first as required.

"You have to be careful because our immune systems are compromised," Bruce Goodin said.