2 Nursing Assistants and 1 Nurse Indicted for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Three people have been indicted for alleged nursing home neglect. The defendants are nurse Barbara A. Moore and certified nursing assistants Melissa L. Lyon and Destiny W. Duncan. They are each indicted on one count of abuse/neglect of an adult. If convicted, each woman could end up serving up to 10 years in prison.
According to the indictments, Lyon transferred the victim, a nursing home resident, into a bed. She performed a single-person lift when the patient’s care plan required a two-person lift. As a result, the nursing home patient sustained a leg fracture.
Lyon and Duncan are accused of covering up the incident, while Moore is accused of neglecting to notify the patient’s relatives or doctor. The nurse also allegedly failed to check on the resident, which caused the victim to experience prolonged pain and suffering.
Nursing Home Negligence
Some nursing home patients need someone to assist them when getting in and out of a bed. A resident’s care plan may have specific instructions as to how to properly do this. Failure to provide the proper care or assistance when moving a patient can result in serious injuries if the patient falls, or slips, or is hurt in another way.
Following a patient’s care plan is imperative to ensure that he or she gets the needed attention and services Failure to provide this care or providing this care inappropriately can be grounds for nursing home abuse or neglect. Some other examples of inappropriate nursing care:
• Not paying attention to a patient’s concerns or complaints
• Not giving a patient ample opportunity to socialize or exercise
• Not properly feeding a resident
• Not properly bathing a resident
• Failure to provide proper assistance (when required) when a patient is getting in and out of bed or going to the bathroom
Three Indicted In Alleged Incident At Logan Co. Nursing Home, MSNBC, December 2, 2009
1 Nurse, 2 Caretakers Indicted For Patient Neglect, Kentucky Post, December 2, 2009
Related Web Resources:
National Center on Elder Abuse
