Nursing Home Abuse Attorney & Lawyer, New York

In recent weeks, the Good Samaritan Society in Albert Lea and four former nursing home aides are the target of a lawsuit regarding abused residents at the facility.  Patients who suffered from Alzheimer’s and dementia were allegedly spat on, groped and spanked by the aides, who were fired.  The lawsuit was filed on January 26th on behalf of the plaintiffs and seeks in excess of $50,000.

The aides, all young women, were entering the rooms of the residents, locking the door behind them and inflicting horrendous abuse on these vulnerable adults, according to Jim Carey, an attorney with Sieben, Grose, Van Holtum and Carey.  Carey, along with attorney Mark Kosieradzki, publicized the lawsuit in a news conference that was held on Tuesday the 26th.

The Minnesota Department of Health released a detailed report of the abuse taking place in 2008, which was when the case became public.  The report alleged that 15 patients residing at the nursing home facility were the subjects of abuse, and six aides were charged later in the year in Freeborn County.

Attorney Mark Kosieradzki said that their goal is to get answers as to what took place and to make certain that measures are in place to insure that this kind of abuse does not happen at this or any other nursing home facility again.

Two of the aides, 20-year-old Ashton Larson and 20-year-old Brianna Broitzman were the only two aides charges as adults in the lawsuit, and both pled not guilty to the criminal charges brought against them.  They are expected to go to trial later on this year, and a court date has not yet been set.

The families of those residents who were abused both sexually and mentally have formed a group to raise awareness about issues like these and others in nursing home facilities across the country.  The group, called Families Against Nursing Home Abuse, has joined social media sites like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook in order to gain more attention in the local community.

It is a sad testament to the shape our world is in when our elderly family members have to live their last days in conditions like these.  The last days and years of an elderly persons life should be the most comfortable.  If you suspect that your loved on is being neglected in a nursing home or elderly care facility, contact an experienced New York nursing home abuse and neglect attorney.

A long running investigation into the Glencare at Wilmington nursing care facility has uncovered numerous complaints.  Department of Social Services has been looking in to the facility over the past year, and things became more intense after two former employees alerted government officials and the local media recently.  Since this investigation took a more intense turn, it has been found that DSS received six complaints in January of 2009 alone about the assisted living facility.

DSS found many complaints after the investigation, but specific complaints are not documented.  The Special Care Unit, which is home for residents who suffer from dementia, was not providing sufficient supervision of these patients who often have special needs.  On three separate occasions, sexual assault took place by a resident of the unit.  Various staff members reported being witness to these assaults during an interview, but they failed to follow guidelines.  Staff members did not notify the administrator in order for the incidents to be reported to DSS, nor was the resident responsible for the assaults examined by a doctor.

Over the past year, the Wilmington, NC facility received a total of 23 complaints.  So far this year, they have already received 8 complaints.  The Department of Social Services stated that medicine distribution was not documented on a consistent basis by staff members.  DSS also reported that a staff member was hired that had previously been placed on the state health care personnel registry because of neglecting a patient at another elderly care facility.  Glencare also received three “Type A” violations last year, the most serious a facility can be given.

In the middle of all of this, a new owner took over the facility.  Glen Kornegay said that changes were being made to correct the issues at Glencare.  In an interview conducted by DHHS, the committee talked with his wife who is a registered nurse and vice president of Kornegay Healthcare.  The DHHS committee was told that the report by DSS wasn’t totally accurate, but Department of Social Services said they were not given the opportunity to give their side of the story.

The Department of Health and Human Services finally voted 6 to 1 against a penalty for Glencare, but that was overruled by the DHHS chief Barbara Ryan, who assessed Glencare a $2,000 penalty.  This penalty must be paid by mid-February this year.

Nursing home abuse and neglect is unfortunately a large and growing problem in this country.  If your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home or elderly care facility, contact a New York nursing home abuse lawyer at once.