The Guardian Blog

Bullying in Nursing Home Leads Elderly Man to Commit Attempted Murder

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:00:50 -0700

There is no age limit when it comes to bullying. Bullying can occur in any environment and nursing homes are no exception. In one nursing home an 84-year-old nursing home resident was at his breaking point when he decided to murder the nursing home worker who had been bullying him.

The elderly man shot the man who was bullying him with a handgun twice. The worker was rushed to the hospital; the bullets hit his stomach and nearly missed his liver. The worker was able to fight the elderly man when he was shot while other nursing home staff members rushed to help him. While police questioned the elderly man, he stated that the nursing home worker had been bullying him for months at the nursing home. The elderly man had planned to commit suicide after murdering the nursing home worker. The elderly man was charged with first-degree assault and is being held in jail under a $200,000 bail.

Where it is verbal or emotional abuse, residents should never have to endure bullying in a nursing home. There needs to be better communication with nursing home staff and residents so that if bullying or harassment is taking place, the residents can notify the appropriate authorities. Nursing home residents should never feel like taking someone’s life is the solution to end the bullying they are experiencing.

Nursing Home Strives for A Comfortable Environment

Soraya Dadras — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:01:20 -0700

A nursing home environment is a critical part to your loved one’s care. Acting as a second home, the nursing home your loved one lives at should be designed to be comfortable and welcoming. In one nursing home, the staff took extra measure to ensure that their décor would help make the transition to living in a nursing home much smoother for their residents.

After much searching on the internet, the décor of their nursing home looks like a sitcom from the 1950s. Everything from the paint color to the dinette sets are from that particular era. The nursing home cares for many patients that suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s and the nursing home creators did not want it to just look like another hospital. Their goal was to create a stable, cozy and familiar living space in order to draw residents in. The director of the nursing home states that the décor helps remind her patients of happier and younger times.

The facility has items like old classroom desks and an old manual typewriter from the fifties, each little item adding a special part in the décor. Many prospective residents tour the facility before moving into the facility and express an excitement when they see the décor. The décor is a small piece of the happiness they try to achieve for their residents, since all they can do is make them comfortable while there is no cure for Alzheimer’s and dementia. The design of this blast from the past nursing home is based on the research that patients with memory problems feel the most comfortable and at ease in environments that are familiar.

Nursing Home Worker Severely Bruises Elderly Resident

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:00:53 -0700

Working in a nursing home is a stressful position that is not well suited for everyone. When nursing home workers reach their breaking home, it is the patients who suffer. One worker was so frustrated that she caused excessive bruising to an elderly woman’s arm.

The nursing home stated that the worker took out her frustration on the 101-year-old woman after become angry with another resident. The nursing home worker denies causing harm to the woman, but a co-worker saw the incident occur. During her brief time working there, the worker was seen to have a quick temper with the residents, which ended up being her downfall. On the same day of the assault, the worker was seen dealing with a male resident and then shortly after calling him “the little b******, he’s hurt my arm.”

The co-worker who witnessed the incident stated that she saw the worker dig her nails into the victim’s elbow with unnecessary force. In the trial the nursing home worker is claiming that the elderly woman had dug her own nails into her own elbow, which caused the injury. The trail is still ongoing.

While nursing home work is a stressful career, the worker should never take their stress out on the helpless residents. Nursing homes are supposed to be a safe refuge for the elderly and you expect that your loved ones will be protected by the workers, not harmed.

Nursing Home Employee Fired After Reporting Sexual Abuse

Soraya Dadras — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:00:36 -0700

It is important for nursing home employees to report any type of abuse that goes on in a nursing home, even if the abuse comes from one of their co-workers. Nursing home abuse is a big issue amount nursing homes and the fear of consequences should never deter someone from reporting the wrongdoing. In one nursing home, a former nursing home employee is suing the nursing home because she feels that she was terminated from her employment after reporting to police that a male co-worker was sexually assaulting a 93-year-old patient.

The former employee is seeking $30,000 in compensation under the whistle blower protection law. After reporting the sexual abuse, the employee stated that she felt her boss’s demeanor towards her had changes and that the bosses felt that the attack could portray the nursing home in a negative light and bad publicity.

The nursing home employee was fired seven months after making the report. While the employee did not witness the sexual abuse herself, she reported it after another employee told her she had watched the abuse take place. The employee is seeking compensation for wages and benefits lost during the time she was terminated from her employment.

Nursing home abuse should always be reported, and employees should never hesitate because they feel their jobs may be put in jeopardy. It is the nursing home employee’s responsibility to protect their residents and this resident did the right thing in going to the police about the abuse. Nursing home officials should be held responsible for punishing the employee for doing the right thing.

Medical Director Over Medicates Nursing Home Residents

Soraya Dadras — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:00:13 -0700

When a loved one is living in a nursing home, family members want to be certain that they are receiving all the medications that they need and that they are not being overly medicated. Unfortunately, many nursing home employees want to abuse their access to the medications and the end result ends up putting the residents at a great risk.

In one nursing home the former director has been sentenced to three years in prison and 300 hours of volunteer service for giving the residents psychotic drugs in order to calm residents. The negative consequences of giving residents who aren’t prescribed psychotic medication can be tremendous. Those medications can have adverse reactions to other medications that they are taking and have deadly consequences. All of the residents who were taking the medications suffered negative health consequences as a result, and three residents have died with the drugs being implicated as the cause.

The drug that was used was called Depakote, which is primarily used to combat seizures or used as a mood stabilizer. The drug would be dispensed if the residents were resistant to doing an activity or were found to be particularly difficult to deal with. In addition to the abuse of the drug, none of the residents families were notified that their loved ones were being given the medication. The CEO of the nursing home that was above the medical director was also given the punishment of 300 hours of volunteer service.

Working at a nursing home can be overwhelming and if the workers do not have the training to deal with the stresses of the nursing home environment then these types of consequences can occur. Staff members should never take it upon themselves to medicate residents without the consent of the families.

Overdose in Nursing Home Leads to Lawsuit

Soraya Dadras — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:00:54 -0700

In a nursing home there are thousands of medications to be dispensed and distributed in the facility. Ensuring that the elderly residents are receiving the appropriate medication is part of the job of the nursing home staff. Some medications are sensitive that a wrong dosage can be deadly to your loved one.

One family is suing their local nursing home for $200,000 because their elderly loved one died of an alleged overdose of prescribed medication. One representative of the patient says that the elderly patient had two doctors who prescribed an inappropriate dosage and combination of medications that inevitably caused her death.

Regardless of the physician’s fault in the overdose, the nursing home was negligent because they had administered the drugs incorrectly and did not properly report her condition when it was evident she was unwell.

These types of instances should never occur in a nursing home. Most nursing homes have organized systems for keeping track of the medication in the facility so that accidents do not occur.

Abuse By Untrained Nursing Home Workers Raises Questions

Soraya Dadras — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:00:16 -0700

It is very important for nursing homes to ensure that their staff has gone through the appropriate training and background checks in order to be deemed qualified to care for these vulnerable individuals. Two women have been charged with abusing an 83-year-old woman and both of them did not have the proper credentials to be working there.

The two women were terminated immediately after an investigation that contained a hidden camera video documenting many instances of abuse and mistreatment. The Department of Public Welfare discovered that both of the employees did not have much of the required training to be performing their jobs. Neither of them had completed the state-required training, testing and orientation.

One of the women should not have been hired in the first place since she did not have the level of education required to have the job in the first place. Neither of them had completed the state required 18-hour course or passed the competency test before working in an assisted living center. The workers also had no training in general fire safety and emergency preparedness, which was a requirement to complete prior to their first day on the job.

The training is important to prevent any abuse from occurring within the nursing home, as well as preventing any mistakes during an emergency situation. Due to the nursing home’s careless mistake in employing the untrained workers, the state has moved to revoke the license of the nursing home for the time being as well as fining the nursing home $7,000. The nursing home houses 58 residents including some with Alzheimer’s and other disabilities.

The women were also arrested and charged with neglect of a care of a dependent person, reckless endangering, and simple assault and harassment. The video revealed rough treatment of the elderly woman and there were reported physical injuries that the woman had suffered.

Maggots Found In Elderly Woman's Ear at Nursing Home

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:00:48 -0700

Most families often trust nursing home care since they often place so much money and thought into the care of there loved ones. A local family what shocked when they discovered that their 92-year-old mother had 57 maggots crawling in her ear. The elderly woman who suffers Alzheimer’s also has the inability to talk, which makes her voicing her ailment more difficult.

The cost of the nursing home itself is about $10,000 a month, and her elderly husband had spent his life savings to have his wife stay there. The nursing home stated that they noticed something was wrong when they saw the elderly woman scratching and pulling on her ear one day last month. As soon as the nursing aid saw the larvae she rushed the woman to the hospital where doctors found the maggots. The doctors stated that they thought must have flown into the elderly woman’s ear and laid its eggs.

The maggots had been living in her ear for approximately two days. The husband had stated that his wife was supposed to be receiving daily ear drops for her wax build up, but that the nursing home obviously failed to do so since the larvae would have been noticed. The family has moved the elderly woman to another nursing home and is suing the other nursing home for negligence and emotional stress.

While it is fortunate that the woman did not suffer any serious life long injury from the maggot incident it is scary to think about how the nursing home is monitoring their residents in the bigger picture. Nursing home staff has the responsibility to provide each resident with their specified treatment and take extra care for elderly individuals who cannot communicate.

Elderly Man Chokes and Daughter Sues for $6 Million

Soraya Dadras — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:00:42 -0700

A woman whose 80-year-old father died from choking on his food just a few days after moving into a long-term care home has launched a $6 million lawsuit claiming wrongful death and a cover-up by the home’s staff. Her father had only spent two days in the facility before he was hospitalized after choking and dying.

He was mistakenly served solid food rather then pureed even though the nursing home was aware of the high risk of choking if he ate solid food. There was no lack of communication between the staff and the previous nursing home, when the elderly man moved in his transfer records had all of his care instructions on them. The instructions included a big label that explicitly stated that he could not have solid food.

The elderly man suffered from dementia, which can also cause swallowing problems. He also had to stop wearing his dentures, which made solid food problematic. When investigators came to the nursing home, they found that the staff did not consult information regarding resident diets and special needs.

It is very important for nursing home workers to double check with the patients chart about the needs and restrictions of each patient before they interact with them. Nursing home workers should never rely on word of mouth or memory because there are so many specifications.

Nursing Home Abuse Caught on Tape in Nursing Home

Soraya Dadras — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:00:27 -0700

There are very few cases in which nursing home abuse case will have video evidence of exactly how the abuse occurred and to what extent. In one nursing home the torture of an elderly woman was captured on tape and the woman who committed her abuse has been tried and convicted.

The tape shows the nursing home aid shoving latex gloves into the mouth of 96-year-old woman. The tape then goes on to show the two workers taunting the elderly woman, jerking her out of her wheelchair then shoving her head down to apparently get her to lay down. The three daughters of the elderly woman were horrified when they saw the footage. The elderly woman suffers from dementia and was unable to remember what had happened to her.

Her daughters originally placed the hidden camera in their mother’s room because they suspected that someone was stealing from her. One of the workers was sentenced to two years in jail and the other worker in the video is on the run. While the mother has passed away, the daughters hope that the video sheds some light on elder abuse.

Mushroom Poisoning Kills Four Elderly

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:00:22 -0700

In one nursing home, four people have died from eating a soup that was cooked with poisonous mushrooms earlier this month. Three others at the six bed care facility died from eating the mushrooms, and investigators are characterizing the occurrence as an accident.

The victims were all sickened on November 8th, including the caretaker who made the soup after picking the mushrooms in the backyard of the facility. The victims who have died as a result of consuming the mushrooms include a 92-year old woman, 86-year-old woman, 73-year-old man and 90-year-old man. Social services are investigating the incident, although the caretaker who made the soup did not know the mushrooms were poisonous.

The vomiting and diarrhea associated with the mushroom poisoning can take 12 hours or longer to develop and it often makes it difficult to diagnose. Loss of fluids can cause kidney failure but the poisons within the mushrooms can attack the liver and stop the organ from producing normal proteins. It is common for the victim to fall into a coma and as the liver eventually shuts down, the individual dies.

Caregiver Steals Thousands from Elderly Woman

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:00:10 -0700

In Georgia, an 86-year-old woman has lost roughly $7500 at the hands of her caregiver. The 46-year-old caregiver was charged with 36 counts financial transaction card fraud and exploitation of the elderly. Authorities said they had surveillance video evidence showing the caregiver using the elderly woman’s debit card at a supermarket. The elderly woman’s family discovered the missing money in October and reported it to the police.

The caregiver has not been caught and police are searching for her. Authorities said that this type of elder abuse is rapidly increasing with roughly 2.1 million reports occurring annually in the whole nation. The authorities in this case noted that although there have been 2.1 million reports of elder abuse throughout the nation every year; there are many more incidents that are not reported for various reasons.

The Southwest Georgia Council on Aging director stated that for every one report of elder abuse or neglect, there are at least five incidents that go unreported. As a result, it becomes more and more difficult to pinpoint a specific source of abuse and neglect and even more difficult to prevent it altogether. In order for any family to get assistance for their loved ones, it is vital for them to report any suspected incidents of elder abuse or neglect and bring those responsible to justice.

Police Investigate Elder Abuse Case after Finding Sex Tape

Soraya Dadras — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:00:59 -0700

Authorities are currently investigating a potential elder abuse incident after discovering a surveillance tape showing two registered nurses engaging in sex acts. The two nurses could face criminal charges in the investigation and both of their nursing licenses have been suspended pending the results of an internal investigation.

Authorities said the family of a 98-year-old stroke victim gave police several surveillance tapes from a security camera. The tapes show the two registered nurses fondling each other in front of the 98-year-old patient. The family has said the tapes also show one of the men putting the victim’s hand down his pants and another tape shows a nurse fondling himself and kissing the elderly woman’s face. The victim’s family has sued both of the men for elder abuse.

This incident shows how some perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect may think they will not be caught. If the victim in an elder abuse or neglect case is unresponsive due to physical ailment, there is less chance for the perpetrator’s to get caught because there is nobody to report the crime. Many nursing homes and elder care facilities have surveillance equipment running constantly, protecting the patients at all times. This increase in security could not only be used to protect the elderly individuals but, as this incident shows, it could also be used as evidence against the perpetrators. When security cameras are installed into the patients’ rooms and throughout the elder care facility, it helps in creating indisputable evidence showing the perpetrator’s abusing their victims.

Security equipment also aids in reporting elder abuse and neglect crimes. Without the evidence to back up their claims, it may be more difficult or nerve racking for victims to come forward. The evidence allows them to prove without any doubt that the crimes are occurring, as opposed to not having any physical proof. However, having the assistance of physical proof helps them get past that fear and allows them to be confident in their report so they can get the assistance they need.

Nursing Home Faces Triple Murder

Soraya Dadras — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:00:40 -0700

In an upscale nursing home an 88-year-old woman was fatally shot and killed along with her two nieces in a triple murder that also resulted with the suspected gunman dead as well. Police investigators suspect that the 45-year-old man killed his ex wife, her sister, and the woman’s aunt.

Investigators are still unsure as to why the incident occurred but suspect it was a financial disagreement. There was a minivan spotted leaving the scene of the nursing home minutes after the incident, where they found one of the bodies.

The nursing home executive director said one of her residents discovered the bodies after she saw the resident’s door propped open. There were grief counselors on hand to talk to the other residents about the killings that occurred in the nursing home.

While this type of violence and blood shed is not a common occurrence in a nursing home, it is important to consider the security and protection of all the residents in the nursing home.

Nursing Home Residents And Workers Trapped After Hurricane Sandy

Soraya Dadras — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:00:31 -0700

In awake of the devastating tragedy in the east coast by Hurricane Sandy, the importance of emergency response systems in nursing homes need to properly be evaluated. For five nursing homes affected by Hurricane Sandy residents and staff were told to not evacuate their facilities even though they were in a mandatory evacuation zone.

As a result of this decision not to evacuate, hundreds of disabled and elderly residents had to watch from their windows one of the most severe storms unfold. The storm caused the first floor of the buildings to flood which included the lobbies, basements and the backup power generators. The water tore apart the interior walls of the nursing home and the sandbags that had been placed outside were split open, spilling the contents in the lobby.

Nursing home staff and residents are still unsure why they were told not to evacuate especially when they evacuated for Hurricane Irene just 14 months ago. Luckily there were no reports of injuries or deaths in the nursing home as a result of the storm, but many feel like the decision to evacuate should have been made much sooner.

These types of emergency weather situations can happen at any location. Not allowing the nursing homes to properly evacuate the residents put them in danger and compromised their well-being.

508 Nursing Home Patients' Information Stolen

Soraya Dadras — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:00:03 -0700

Nursing homes sometimes become the last residence for your loved one. All of your loved one’s personal belongings and personal medical and financial information is easily accessible in a nursing home. In one nursing home a briefcase was reported stolen that contained the personal information of 508 nursing home residents.

The personal information included social security numbers, names, birth dates and Medicaid recipient numbers. This type of information can be easily abused if it is in the wrong hands. The state’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced the incident on Friday.

The Department’s representatives are meeting with each of the individuals affected by the theft and encouraged everyone involved to set up alerts on their accounts with consumer agencies. These alerts will help monitor any suspicious activity on your loved one’s identity. Federal law requires the nursing home to notify the news media of confidentiality breaches involving more than 500 people.

It can be scary for any family to cope with their loved one’s identity being stolen. The constant worry that his or her identity is being manipulated or abused by someone can be stressful and traumatic. The nursing home has the responsibility to keep their resident’s information safe and protected from outside threats.

Nursing Home Patients See Classic Cars At Special Event

Soraya Dadras — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:00:56 -0700

For Halloween, one nursing home got a special treat for all of the elderly residents to enjoy. A local classic car's club brought the classic vehicles to the residents so they could help them relive their memories of the vehicles from the past.

Residents of the nursing home recalled memories when looking at many of the vehicles and gave the owners stories of what car's they used to drive or even what cars they learned to drive on. One car owner stated how glad he was to participate in this car show for the elderly because his father had passed away there a few years ago.

Taking part in the event served as a way to tribute his memory and legacy. Many of the elderly residents who are reluctant to participate in other events were excited to have the car show to admire the vehicles and talk to the owners. These types of events are so vital to improving the quality of life for nursing home patients. It is important for nursing homes to provide a diverse arrangement of events so everyone can feel included and feel like part of the community.

Utah Police Force Awarded Grant to combat Elder Abuse

Soraya Dadras — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:00:20 -0700

The Provo, UT police force has been granted a $400,000 grant to combat elder abuse. The Office on Violence Against Women awarded the grant to help train police officers, judges, prosecutors, and the community to recognize signs of elder abuse. Statistics show Provo, UT has the sixth-fastest growing elderly population, making the city much more susceptible to attack against the elderly.

A program coordinator for the Provo police force said an initial assessment would be conducted to determine where the money could be utilized more effectively. Authorities said one of the most common occurrences is financial abuse in which perpetrators contact elderly individuals claiming to be grandchildren in financial distress. The city of Provo has already taken a few measures to combat elder abuse including developing the Elder Abuse and Vulnerable Adult Coalition in January. The coalition is made up of prosecutors, judges, and other members to help combat elder abuse.

The grant money given to the city of Provo will be used over a period of three years. While this may not seem quick enough, the number of elder abuse cases could still be reduced drastically over that period of time on a year-by-year basis. This is one of many measures that cities can take in order to fight elder abuse. One of the most significant problems in the United States is the under-reporting of elder abuse cases. With this grant, the city could help in reducing the number of under-reported cases and help more elderly individuals who have been victimized. If more cities and states would follow this example, the statistics related to elder financial, physical, and psychological abuse could be significantly reduced.

Elderly Woman Loses over $300K in Embezzlement from Paralegal

Soraya Dadras — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:00:28 -0700

A 56-year-old paralegal stands accused of embezzling over $300,000 from a 77-year-old woman. The elderly woman hired the paralegal to help her maintain her finances when she began writing checks from the elderly woman’s account to herself. Authorities said over a seven-year period beginning in 2005, the paralegal embezzled $311,000 from the elderly woman to fund her husband’s business and to use for gambling purposes.

The paralegal was charged with second-degree grand larceny, and first-degree false instrument for filing. The elderly woman discovered the discrepancies in her accounts when she and her son were going over unrelated financial matters. The woman’s son discovered the money was missing from her accounts in the process. The paralegal will be sentenced in January and could face up to 19 years in prison if convicted of the highest charges.

This unfortunate and sad incident of financial elder abuse is one of the most common occurrences. Elderly individuals often entrust their financial information to people they believe to be trustworthy. Unfortunately, elderly people are easy targets for predators who seek substantial financial gains from their victims. If the paralegal in this incident had all the legal qualifications to assist the elderly woman with her finances, there is no way the elderly woman could have known she would become the victim of financial abuse. Fortunately for the elderly woman, she had a family member on her side to help ensure that the money was not lost completely. Many elderly victims do not have this assistance, though, and they often lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to the perpetrators of these crimes.

Gator Bites Off Elderly Woman's Arm

Soraya Dadras — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:00:59 -0700

An 84-year old woman had her arm bitten off by an alligator when her neighbor found her in the canal by his home. All the woman could do was yell for her late husband and “gator” over and over during the attack.

Police officials are still unsure why the woman had entered the canal wearing nothing but a slip in the first place, but the neighbor suspected that she was trying to go for a swim which people do not do in the canal. The gator was a 7 foot 5 inches long gator who swam away when they neighbor jumped in to save the elderly lady. The elderly woman seemed calm and alert but did not say anything about the attack as she asked for her late husband. The elderly woman was flown to the local hospital and is in critical condition but is believed to make a full recovery.

A local official from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived at the scene and shot two shots at the gator, but it went underwater. The gator was then trapped and killed and taken for a necropsy. The elderly woman’s arm was not found inside the alligator, but authorities believe to be the right animal based on his size. Experts always attempt to retrieve the limp from inside the alligator since they must kill it.