Elder Law

Allegation of Elder Abuse Investigated By State Department

By Levin & Perconti

The Lehigh Acres Citizen reports on a state Department of Children and Families that is taking a look at allegations of abuse at a local nursing home. Two nursing home residents have reportedly been recent victims of abuse at the Clare Bridge of Cape Coral facility.

According to police reports, a nursing assistant at the facility may be guilty of physically abusing residents at the nursing home. The allegations first came to light when relatives of one of the victims noticed bruises on the man?s face and nose. The official explanation was that the victim had fallen off a couch. However, other indications suggest that the injuries were actually a result of a punch to the face that eventually required hospitalization.

One employee is said to have provided a notarized statement about the abuse but backtracked following fears of losing her job. The staff member claimed that another employee was fired shortly after coming forward with abuse allegations.

Allegations of abuse and neglect are not new to the facility. In the last year alone, four different deficiencies of care have been uncovered by state agencies. Three specific inspections were conducted by authorities following complaints of abuse in that same time period.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on November 30, 2010 (boomark / email).