Nursing Aide Ties 83-Year-Old Nursing Home Abuse Victim to a Chair Before Napping
A 72-year-old nursing home aide has pleaded guilty to violating public health law involving the abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of a person. Pierre Obas was working at the Waterview Hills Rehabilitation and Nursing Home when he used a bed sheet to tie an 83-year-old nursing home resident to a wheelchair, placed her in a common room, and turned out the lights so he could take a nap. The nursing home abuse incident took place in May 2008.
The elderly patient was restrained in this way for approximately an hour at around 2:30am after she had asked for help several times. She could not take care of herself or walk without help. Footage from the nursing home shows Obas pushing the woman while she was restrained in the wheelchair.
While doctors have required that seat-belt restraints be used with wheelchairs to prevent certain patients from slipping and falling off the chairs, bed sheets as a restraint method are discouraged because they could pose a strangulation or suffocation risk.
Obas has had to give up his nursing aide’s certificate and cannot work in this role for a year.
Improper Restraints
It is illegally to improperly restrain a nursing home patient. It doesn’t matter whether the restraint method is a physical one or a chemical one. Nursing home workers are not supposed to restrain patients unless there is a an appropriate reason for doing so. Restraining a resident as punishment or because staff workers are too busy or too lazy to take care of the patient is wrong and a form of nursing home negligence and abuse.
Improperly restraining a patient can result in emotional injuries, broken limbs, suffocation, and death.
Our Chicago nursing home abuse law firm is committed to protecting elder abuse victims and making sure that they are compensated for their injuries.
83-year-old patient restrained while aide took nap, Lohud.com, August 11, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Long Term Care Community Coalition
Restraints, The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
