Personal Injury Law

Former Sudbury, Massachusetts Nursing Home Worker Charged With Sexually Molesting Patient

By Altman & Altman

In Massachusetts, a man who used to work at the Sudbury Pines Extended Care nursing home has been charged with sexually molesting a 62-year-old stroke patient while another resident was sleeping in the room. Following the alleged incident, the former nursing home worker, Kofi Agana, was fired from his job.

The alleged Massachusetts sexual assault incident was discovered after another nursing home aide noticed that the victim would act strangely when she was around the 46-year-old worker. Because of her stroke, the victim?s ability to communicate is impaired, but she is capable of saying yes and no and was able to point to different parts of her body to indicate what happened to her.

According to reports, Agana entered the woman?s bedroom in Early February and started rubbing her breast. He is also accused of holding down her arms while he touched her private parts.

Charges against the Massachusetts nursing home worker include one count of assault and battery on a disabled person older than 60 and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a disabled person older than 60. Judge Robert Greco, who set Agana?s bail at $10,000, said allegations have also been made that Agana may have fondled another patient while transferring her to a wheelchair from her bed. No charges have been filed related to that incident.

Sexual Abuse in Nursing Homes
Sexual abuse in US nursing homes is a problem. Patients who may be too sick or frail to fight back or report the incident can be easy prey for nursing home workers and other patients.

US nursing homes are supposed to conduct background checks of nursing workers before hiring them to find out if they have a criminal record or were let go or disciplined at another long-term care facility for misconduct.

Nursing home workers are frequently in close physical contact with patients?especially the residents that need help bathing or getting dressed. Turning a patient to prevent bedsores or entering a patient?s room to check on them or provide them with the medical care they need are examples of other scenarios that involve a nursing home worker having easy, physical access to residents.

Sexual abuse, molestation, assault, or rape of a patient by a nursing home worker is nursing home abuse.

Sudbury nursing home aide charged with patient assault, Boston Herald, February 13, 2009

Nursing home employee charged with sexual assault on patient, Wicked Local, February 12, 2009

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on March 03, 2009 (boomark / email).