Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm: More Nursing Home Workers Accused of Elder Abuse
The problem of nursing home abuse just won’t seem to go away. Today, a former Punta Gorda Elderly Care Center was arrested and charged with the felony elder abuse of a 78-year-old female patient.
The former nursing assistant, 58-year-old Leticia Calderwood, is accused of kicking an elderly resident in the back and slapping her on the face. The nursing home neglect incident allegedly occurred on May 19 as Calderwood and two other nursing home workers were helping the elderly resident get up from a fall accident. It was while Calderwood was supposed to helping the patient that she is accused of kicking and slapping her.
The former nursing home worker is being held without bond. Calderwood faces one charge of abuse on the elderly and one charge of battery on the elderly. Both charges are third-degree felonies.
Elsewhere in the US, a former St. Joseph Nursing Home employee says she thinks she was let go from her job because she used her cell phone to record an incident involving another female nursing home worker verbally abusing a male patient suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. Tracie Bowers says that the unidentifiable sound that can be heard on the recording is the other nursing home worker striking the patient’s hand. Bowers says the patient, who is known for being combative, didn’t do anything to provoke the worker.
Bowers says a nursing supervisor didn’t take her complaints about the other nursing home worker seriously, which is why she reported the incident to a charge nurse. Facility administrators then reported her allegations to the state health department, which is now investigating her claim. The nursing home's administrator, Frank Triboli, however, says Bowers was not let go for reporting the alleged abuse incident.
Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse is abuse and in many ways can be as damaging as physical abuse even though the injuries may not be physically visible. Verbal abuse demeans the spirit and can lead to depression and the deterioration of one’s health.
Any kind of abuse at a nursing home by a nursing home worker is nursing home abuse.
Nursing home worker charged in abuse of woman, 76, Herald Tribune, May 20, 2009
State investigating nursing home abuse claim, UticaOD.com, May 7, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes, NOLO
Contact our Chicago nursing home abuse law firm to discuss your case.
