Nursing home worker charged in death of patient

 Following an investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, two nursing home workers were charged in Beckham County District Court last month.

One of the workers, a Granite woman has been charged in connection with the death of a 76-year-old nursing home patient and has been denied bail. 

According to an affidavit, the Elk City Police Department contacted the state Attorney General's office about possible neglect or abuse by a caretaker at Bell Avenue Nursing Center in Elk City in April of 2012. 

The investigation concluded that a 76-year-old patient was injured during the transfer from a bed to a wheelchair and suffered life threatening injuries, according to the court document. 

The Daily Elk Citian | Western Oklahoma's Online News Authority | Updated Daily - Nursing home worker charged in death of patient:

Number of care concerns found at Broomfield Skilled Nursing - Broomfield Enterprise

"Local, state and federal records show a history of staffing and regulatory problems at the Broomfield nursing facility where an employee is accused of sexually assaulting two patients in the past two months.

Records paint a picture of Broomfield Skilled Nursing having high staff turnover and low quality ratings. The recent arrest of the aide accused of sexual assault and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of well-known Broomfield resident Marlene Politzer are among the more serious concerns.

Antonio Nieto, a certified nursing aide at the facility is accused of sexually assaulting two female patients, ages 59 and 73, in July and August."  Number of care concerns found at Broomfield Skilled Nursing - Broomfield Enterprise:

by Bernard Hamill
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Rape in Nursing Homes

Third victim identified in Ellisville sexual abuse case

Police say a third woman was sexually assaulted by the St. Louis County man accused of fondling two elderly clients while bathing them.

Walter Javier Martinez, 44, has been charged with two counts of deviate sexual assault, one count of forcible rape and another count of forcible sodomy.

He is accused of fondling one elderly client while bathing her at Bethesda Meadow nursing home. The alleged victim was an 80-year-old woman with dementia. Another client at Sunrise Living, a nursing facility in Chesterfield, was also abused between Jan. 1 and 16, according to police.

A third elderly victim told police that Martinez raped her while she tried to fight him off. She was a patient at a nursing home in St. Louis County.

Martinez confessed to abusing two of the women to Odyssey Hospice, his then-employer. Police say he was a licensed social worker when the alleged abuse happened."

Third victim identified in Ellisville sexual abuse case | ksdk.com:

by Bernard Hamill

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Rape in Nursing Homes

20% of Elder Abuse occurs in Nursing Homes

Social worker Chris Dubble spoke at a workshop about recognizing elder abuse, hosted by the Perry County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) on June 21.  Dubble addressed the topic of elder abuse, including physical abuse, confinement, intimidation verbal and mental abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. His presentation was peppered with dramatic examples he’d encountered in his social work, such as a woman who left a nursing home for a weekend with her family and was raped by her son.
“This happens out there more than we ever want to admit,” Dubble said. “While we don’t want to think about it, we need to be aware.”
Dubble shared long lists of warning signs to look out for with both the possible victim and the abuser. Some signs and symptoms for a victim were their own testimony, denial of a problem, confusion about medication, refusal to receive care from caregiver, poor hygiene or incontinence.
Signs and symptoms for an abuser included but weren’t limited to being exhausted, overwhelmed or physically incapable of providing care; resisting outside services; threatening or intimidating the older adult; destroying property; and stating that the older adult is incompetent, sick or crazy.
Similar to other abusive situations, Dubble said elder abuse usually involves the abuser isolating and controlling the victim. He noted that it can happen anywhere but keeping people isolated and dependent is very easy. “That’s why you don’t usually see [the victims].”

Most elder abuse victims are female, dependent on others for care and live at home, though Dubble pointed out that 20 percent of abuse occurs in nursing homes — a disproportionate amount given that only about 5 percent of older adults live in nursing homes.

Elder abuse is on the rise in Perry County | PennLive.com:

by Bernard Hamill

Nursing Home Abuse

Crestwood Nursing Home Nurse Charged with Abusing a Patient in RI

A Warren resident who was accused of abusing a patient at Crestwood Nursing Home last year recently pleaded nolo to his charges.
According to Warren police, the department received a complaint from Newport Hospital in August of 2010 regarding an elderly male with injuries who claimed to have been assaulted by his nurse at Crestwood.
Crestwood Nursing Home Nurse Charged with Abusing a Patient - Police & Fire - Bristol-Warren, RI Patch:

Sacramento nursing home fined in patient's death

A Sacramento nursing home is responsible for the death of a patient with swallowing difficulties who choked on a piece of meat during a lunchtime outing with staff members, state regulators have concluded.
Mary Yip, 86, who suffered from dementia and disability from stroke, died a day after the choking incident in January 2012. At the time, she was accompanied by staff members and other patients of the Asian Community Center nursing home.
The nonprofit Foundation Aiding the Elderly, or FATE, filed a complaint against the facility at the request of Yip's family. The California Department of Public Health substantiated the agency's complaint and hit the nursing home with its most severe penalty, a Class AA citation, and an $80,000 fine.  
In a report released Wednesday, investigators said staff members served an unnamed patient, whom FATE founder Carole Herman identified as Yip, noodles with chunks of meat during the outing.
They failed to supervise her while she ate, despite a physician's directive that she was unable to chew and should eat only soft foods, regulators said
.Sacramento nursing home fined in patient's death - Health and Medicine - The Sacramento Bee:

nursing home workers charged with taking photos of naked residents

Two former nursing home nurse aides and employees of a Wisconsin nursing home have been charged with using their cellphones to photograph residents while they were naked.
Michelle A. Bulger, 22, of Cecil and Ashley J. Schaumberg, 20, of Pulaski were charged last week in Brown County, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported Wednesday. Both have been fired as certified nursing assistants by Brookview Meadows, an adult-care and assisted living facility in Howard, Wis.
Schaumberg allegedly videotaped Bulger while she was assisting an 84-year-old who had an obstructed bowel and was naked from the waist down, prosecutors said. Bulger was apparently mugging for the camera, gagging and covering her mouth.
In another case, an 81-year-old resident was photographed while bathing.
Both Schaumburg and Bulger are charged with photographing nudity without consent, a crime that carries a potential sentence of more than three years.Ex-nursing home workers charged for taking photos of naked residents - UPI.com

by Bernard Hamill
Nursing Home Abuse

Mt. Vernon Woman Charged In Alleged Neglect Of A Nursing Home Patient | The Mount Vernon Daily Voice

A Mount Vernon woman faces accusations that she allegedly neglected, endangered and falsified records of a patient in her Queens, N.Y. nursing home who was suffering from dementia and went missing, according to State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Juliet Clifford, 43, failed to call authorities two weeks ago when Alan Frazer was found missing from the Bishop Charles Waldo Maclean Episcopal Nursing Home in Far Rockaway, the attorney general’s criminal complaint said.
The following day, Clifford removed medical notes from the 73-year-old patient’s record and instructed a colleague to falsely indicate that Frazer left the facility against the advice of his physicians and counselors, according to the complaint.  Clifford also advised her staff not to call police about the incident, the complaint said. Mt. Vernon Woman Charged In Alleged Neglect Of A Nursing Home Patient | The Mount Vernon Daily Voice

Attorney General Shutting Zanesville Nursing Home

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Theodore Wymyslo, M.D., announced that they are working to close a nursing home in Zanesville.
The move to revoke Autumn Healthcare of Zanesville's license comes after a covert investigation by the Attorney General's Office found evidence of suspected patient neglect. Multiple ODH inspections also revealed ongoing patterns of substandard care at the 100-bed facility.
Autumn Healthcare of Zanesville 's license will be terminated in 60 days.
"In January, I reached out to the Ohio Department of Health to come up with a plan on how we could work together to aggressively go after nursing homes whose employees are providing inadequate care," said Attorney General DeWine. "It is important to point out that there are many good nursing homes in Ohio that provide excellent care. We are putting those that don't on notice that we are not afraid to take action."
ODH has recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also cease Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement to the facility

Attorney General Shutting Zanesville Nursing Home | WHIZ News:

by Bernard Hamill

Nursing Home Abuse

 

Assisted Living Expose shows dangers in Assisted Living for Seniors

August 1, 2013

Frontline, in association with Pro Publica is currently running a series on Assisted Living in the United States. Must reading for all families concerned about care and the prevention of abuse and neglect of our elder relatives.

Pro Publica

Ch 1  "Emerald City"
Ch 2 "They're not treating Mom Well"
Ch 3 "A Sinking Ship"
Ch 4 "Close the Back Door"

by Bernard Hamill
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Preventing Elder Abuse: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

 On June 15, 2006, the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations launched World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as an annual call to action for individuals, organizations, and communities concerned with senior rights. In the words of the National Center on Elder Abuse, “The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.”

On WEAAD, this year and every year, communities are encouraged to hold events and fundraisers, and individuals are urged to volunteer for organizations that benefit seniors. Even a simple visit to an older neighbor, friend, or family member who lives alone can be empowering and encouraging—and it’s a concrete way to help with preventing elder abuse.
Preventing Elder Abuse: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day:

by Bernard Hamill
Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing homes with higher proportion of Black residents provide lower care levels

"Nursing homes with a higher proportion of Black residents perform worse financially and provide lower-quality care than homes with few Black residents, finds a new study in Health Services Research.
The study's findings suggest that de facto segregation may exist within nursing homes because better performing nursing homes may selectively admit residents based on race and/or payer status, preferring private payers over those using Medicaid, whose users are disproportionately minority group members. Another reason for the segregation may be due to the fact that Black nursing home residents generally choose facilities within their communities.
"As policy makers develop initiatives to improve overall quality, they also need to incorporate solutions that will mitigate racial and ethnic disparities in nursing homes," says lead author Latarsha Chishom, Ph.D., assistant professor of health management and informatics at the University of Central Florida."
Nursing homes with higher proportion of Black residents perform worse financially, says study

Nurse struck off for rough handling and verbal abuse

 "A PENPARCAU nurse has been struck off the nursing register after a disciplinary panel ruled that she “put patients at unwarranted risk of harm”.
A Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing found 12 charges proven against June Parry, including claims of rough handling and verbal abuse of patients and intimidation of colleagues. Five further charges were not proven.
She has been removed from the nursing register for five years. The charges relate to periods between 2005 and 2010 when Mrs Parry was working first at Ystwyth Ward at Bronglais Hospital and then Hafan y Waun at Waunfawr.
The NMC panel heard that Mrs Parry quit her job at the hospital after allegations that she had made inappropriate comments about patients, including a claim she had said she would put a pillow over a patient’s face and wrap a cord around another patient’s neck."
Nurse struck off for rough handling and verbal abuse | News:

by Bernard Hamill

Nursing Home Abuse

AG: Nursing home staff accused of beating, smothering patient

"Raquel Bouton, 43, of Mount Sinai and Laura Harper, 58, of Coram, were arrested Tuesday on the eight count indictment, which includes charges of second-degree assault, second-degree attempted assault, second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, as well as of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and two counts of willful violations of health law. Bouton was additionally charged with first-degree falsifying business records. If convicted, the women both face up to seven years in prison.
According to the attorney general’s office Bouton, a licensed practical nurse and Harper, a personal care aide, assaulted an 88-year-old “incompetent and physically disabled resident” at the Woodhaven Adult Home in Port Jefferson Station on March 24, 2012."
AG: Nursing home staff accused of beating, smothering patient - Long Island Crime | Examiner.com

by Bernard Hamill

Nursing Home Abuse

Kindred Great Barrington MA

7-8-13

I received a call recently from a woman whose mother was in the Kindred nursing home and Rehab Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

She claimed her mother suffered injuries on her arms. She believed her mother was hit by someone.
The woman stated she called the state department of public health (DPH)  to file a formal complaint.

This nursing home had a rating of 3 stars out of 5 on a recent web survey.

Our advice is always the same though: remove your loved one from a nursing home if you have concerns about their care or believe there has been neglect.

Our website has a free booklet explaining the rights of nursing home residents and is free at: http://malpractice.blogspot.com/ and http://www.hamill-law.com/Guide%20stop%20abuse.pdf

by Bernard Hamill
Nursing Home Abuse