Nursing Home Abuse

Colorado Man Found Guilty of Sexually Molesting Two Nursing Home Patients

November 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Denver, Colorado, a man was convicted by a jury of sexually molesting two elderly female nursing home residents. According to a report by one local news source, the 42-year-old man was found guilty of two counts of the felony charge of sexual assault on an at-risk adult and one count of unlawful sexual conduct on an at-risk adult.

Evidently, the first instance of abuse took place at the Broomfield Skilled Nursing Center during the week of July 10, and then again with another patient on August 14. During the trial, the jury heard a tape of the man speaking to his fiancée, where he admitted to her what he had done and told her that he felt he deserved to be punished for it. In addition, both of the victims testified against him at trial.

The man, while found guilty earlier this month, will not be sentenced until January 2015.

Two Nurses Arrested for Patient Abuse in Florida Nursing Home

November 6, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Winter Haven, Florida, two Certified Nurse Assistants were arrested and charged with battery after they were caught on video beating a 76-year-old nursing home patient. According to a report by one local news source, the man is an Alzheimer’s patient and could not effectively communicate what was happening to his family. However, after his family noticed that he had unexplained bruises on his body, they decided to place a “nanny cam” in the man’s room to see what was going on.After 30 days of monitoring the camera, the man’s family were shocked to learn that two of the CNAs charged with caring for their loved one were actually threatening him and physically abusing him. As it turns out, the elderly man has had several other roommates who were moved out by family members, citing staffing problems in the room. One fellow resident’s wife told reporters that the man had actually complained that he was being treated roughly by the weekend staff.

Two Connecticut Nursing Homes Fined for Falling Below Acceptable Standards

October 1, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Connecticut, two nursing homes were fined by the State’s Department of Public Health in connection with various reports of substandard care. According to a report by one local news source, the allegations involved verbal abuse, unmonitored bedsores, and the care of a patient who fell 15 times in just four months.

Evidently, one nursing home was fined $1,650 after it was discovered that residents repeatedly fell while they were unsupervised and alone. In the case of one man who fell 15 times between January 5 and May 18, he was discovered several times on his own in the meal area, lost, at times when meals were not being served.

Nursing home employees had to undergo additional training earlier this year, but that training seemed to have little impact on the quality of care that was being provided to residents. Residents continued to fall off the toilet, in the shower, and in common areas while unsupervised.

Nurse Arrested for the Abuse of a 92-Year-Old Nursing Home Patient

September 5, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last week in Syracuse, New York, a female nurse was arrested and charged with several crimes related to the alleged abuse of a 92-year-old patient. According to a report by one local news source, the nurse was not only charged with the abuse-related crimes but also with falsifying business records to cover up the abuse.

Evidently, back in March of this year, the nurse was assigned to care for the 92-year-old victim. On March 25, the patient did not want to move from her bed to a wheelchair, despite being asked to do so. The nurse grabbed the patient by her upper arms and forcefully placed her in the wheelchair.

The elderly patient then developed significant bruising. Other nursing home employees noticed the bruising and reported it to management, who assigned the nurse in question to investigate. Of course, rather than admit to abusing the patient, the nurse reported that the elderly woman was suffering from senile pupura, which is the purpling of the skin, a common condition in the elderly.

Arkansas Nursing Home Cited for Abuse and Neglect

August 25, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Arkansas, a local nursing home and care facility was cited for abuse and neglect of patients by the Department of Health and Human Services. According to a report by one local news source, the nursing home was cited for several failures, including:

Failure to provide proper supervision during patient transfers, resulting in a high instance of patient injuries. In one instance, a patient fell off a mechanical lift and hit her head on the ground.
Inadequate nurse training regarding the equipment that is used to move patients to and from their beds. Employees reported not being instructed at all on how to use this equipment that is crucial to their job.

The Department of Health and Human Services interviewed several employees about the level of training they received to use the mechanical lifts used to move residents. Not one employee told the Department that he or she had been adequately trained to use the lifts. In fact, the only employees who reported receiving any training told the Department that they only received the training after the woman fell off the lift.

Nursing Home Nightmare in Oklahoma

July 21, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

One family in Oklahoma is having a hard time after getting their bruised and battered loved one out of the nursing home that they claim caused his condition. According to a report by a local Oklahoma news source, the family had a difficult time getting the nursing home to cooperate after they claimed that the nursing home abused their loved one.

Evidently, the man was in the nursing home for a short time recovering from a recent illness. While he was there, the family discovered that their loved one had been abused while in the care of the nursing home.

The elderly man—a Vietnam veteran—claims that one of the nurses in the facility punched him in his stomach; there are bruises to corroborate his story. Apparently, when the nursing home was confronted about the bruises, they could not explain where they came from. When the family claimed that their loved one was being abused by the nursing home, the nursing home stopped giving the elderly man his medication.

North Carolina Cites Nursing Home for Inadequate Care and Abuse

July 14, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In yet another story of nursing home abuse, a North Carolina nursing home was recently cited by the State in relation to a patient’s death caused by injuries he sustained while fighting with a nursing home staff member. According to a report by a local news source, the nursing home was cited by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for “failing to keep residents free from abuse.”

Evidently, the elderly patient suffered from dementia, a seizure disorder, and other ailments. At some point during his stay, he was involved in a scuffle with nursing home staff and sustained serious injuries. He was hospitalized for his injuries, but 15 days later he died from the injuries. The patient died while in hospice care.

The nursing home denies any wrongdoing but commented that they will try to do better in the future.

Condom Found in Nursing Home Resident’s Stomach

July 7, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a truly disturbing story out of Chicago earlier this month, a nursing home is being sued after a procedure conducted on one of its patients revealed a condom inside the patient’s stomach. According to a report by CBS Chicago, the patient was a resident at Westchester Health And Rehabilitation Center between January 2010 and June 2012. At some point in June 2012, the patient was taken to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital with gastrointestinal bleeding and low hemoglobin levels.

Upon conducting the required procedure, the doctor noticed something strange in the patient’s stomach. According to the doctor’s own description, “it look liked it was a condom and it was about 6 to 7 inches long with hardened material inside.”

The patient was bedridden and nonverbal at the time of the procedure, and had been so of some time before as well. He underwent the same procedure back in 2010, so the condom must have entered the man’s body sometime between January 2010 and June 2012. A loved one of the patient brought a lawsuit against both the nursing home as well as the hospital, because the man had been admitted to the hospital 14 times over the course of the two year period and it was possible it could have occurred at the hospital.

Two Charged with Elder Abuse after Videotaping the Abuse

May 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, police caught up with two employees of the Emeritus at Farm Pond in Framingham, Massachusetts, who had videotaped themselves abusing elderly residents in the nursing facility. According to a report by a local news affiliate, one of the employees had several videos on her phone detailing a number of abusive situations including:

One video of a female employee hitting a 78-year-old Alzheimer’s patient on the arms, flicking her ears, and then pinching her nose closed. Once the woman was let go, the employee wiped mucus from the patient’s nose and rubbed it on her mouth.

Another video shows a male employee taking a boxing stance opposite a 71-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, slapping the patient as he tried to defend himself. When the man turned away to escape the assault, the employee slapped the man on the buttocks, nearly knocking him over.

There were also photos of partially nude residents on the female employee’s phone.

In an interview with investigators, the female employee claimed that the attacks were a poor attempt at humor, indicating no ill-will towards the patients. The male employee claimed that his behavior was necessary to get the man back into the room which he was supposed to be in. He did not comment when asked if he thought that there was a better way of handling the situation.

Both employees have been fired from the nursing facility and are facing criminal charges of assault and battery against an elderly person. The female employee is also facing charges of unauthorized nude photography.

Seventeen Employees of Michigan Nursing Home Facing Charges for Patient Abuse

May 13, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Seventeen employees of the Highpointe nursing facility have been accused of patient abuse and will be facing charges filed by the State’s Attorney General. According to a report by BuffaloNews.com, the employees are all facing felony charges for alleged abuse committed against patients. Highpointe is owned and operated by a larger corporation, Kalieda Health, which owns several nursing home facilities.

Highpointe is a 300-bed facility that cost $64 million to build back in 2011, when it first opened. In the most recent report, the nursing home was operating at 97% occupancy (April).

Over the past few years, Highpointe has had a higher-than-average complaint ratio, averaging 44.8 per 100 residents. The average is closer to 34 per 100 residents. The nursing home also had more citations issued after inspection than comparable nursing homes. For instance, in 2014, the citation ration was 6.6 per 100 occupied beds, which was almost three times the rate for other nursing homes in the area.