Another Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Filed in Case Involving Alleged Teen Assailants
Another nursing home negligence lawsuit has been filed against Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society for the elder abuse that a number of residents suffered at the hands of six teen nursing assistants. The latest complaint contends that Albert Lea nursing home’s supervisors were negligent when they failed to properly supervise the teenagers who allegedly sexually, emotionally, and physically abused residents in 2008.
The elder abuse crimes and the young ages of the alleged perpetrators sent shock waves through the country. While four of the girls criminal cases were dealt with in juvenile court, two of the girls, Ashton Larson and Brianna Broitzman, now both age 20, face charges in adult court. Their criminal trials are scheduled to begin next month.
The nursing home company, which has maintained that it didn’t know that the elder abuse incidents were happening, says that it responded right away as soon as it found out about the alleged nursing home abuse. The state's health department did not cite Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea over the incidents.
The residents who were targeted reportedly suffered from dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other mental illnesses and the abuse reportedly occurred over a number of months. The teen nursing home workers were only supposed to perform simple tasks, such as helping patients with an activity or combing their hair.
Nursing Home Abuse
Assisted living facilities must closely monitor their employees to make sure that nursing home neglect or abuse doesn’t happen. Failure to properly supervise, train, or conduct a background check of staff members can prove detrimental to the residents who are left vulnerable to sexual assault, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and elder neglect.
Another lawsuit in Albert Lea Elder Abuse Case, Globe Gazette, June 17, 2010
Lawsuit alleges ‘systemic failure to exercise proper supervision,' Albert Lea Tribune, January 26, 2010
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Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
