Nursing Home Sexual Abuse: Visitor Charged with Sexually Assaulting at Least Two Patients
Prosecutors are charging a man who was a regular visitor at a convalescent care home with molesting at least two women. The Criminal charges against Julio Mestre, which he has pleaded not guilty to, include elder abuse, sexual assault against a disabled person, burglary, and battery.
The 56-year-old man has been a regular visitor to Creekside Health Care, where he would help his wife administer Holy Communion to residents. According to police, on May 8, Mestre sexually assaulted a 66-year-old female resident whose speech has been impaired ever since she had a stroke.
The victim’s 79-year-old roommate was in the bedroom at the time and pressed the nurse call button for help. An attendant arrived and upon discovering Mestre took him to the nurse’s station. However, Mestre left before police were called and the authorities say that convalescent home did not contact them then to report what happened.
It wasn’t until the following day when Mestre returned to the assisted living facility with his wife and a staff member recognized him from previous night that police were notified about what happened. Mestre has been a registered sex offender ever since he was convicted for a similar crime in 2005.
Chicago Nursing Home Sexual Assault
Assisted living facilities must protect residents from becoming the victim of nursing home abuse, neglect, or sexual assault. This means exercising the appropriate safety measures so that violent or sexual offenders don’t end up hired as nursing workers or, if they are admitted as patients, that they are closely supervised and not placed in positions that would allow them to abuse or assault another resident.
The proper security and supervisory measures must also be in place so that patients aren’t made vulnerable to visitors or workers brought in for the day who may become sexually or physically violent. Any abuse or assault incidents must be reported to the authorities, and patients must be removed from dangerous situations immediately. An assisted living facility's failure to protect a patient from such crimes can be grounds for a Chicago nursing home neglect lawsuit.
Man charged with molesting patients at San Pablo convalescent home, Mercury News, May 26, 2010
Julio Mestre, Charged With Molesting Invalids in Contra Costa, Did Same Here in S.F., SF Weekly, May 28, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes, Nolo
Nursing Home Compare, Medicare.gov
