Nursing Home Abuse Attorney & Lawyer, New York

Kerisa M. Magee of Riverhead was arrested on February 17th by Southampton Village Police on charges related to endangering the welfare of a nursing home resident in 2007.  At the time the complaint was filed by the brother of the victim, who was a quadriplegic male patient, Ms. Magee no longer worked at the facility.

Magee was a nursing staff member at the Hamptons Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing when the incident took place.  Apparently, she was accused of rolling a bedsheet up and covering the mouth of the patient, which restricted his breathing severely according to police.

Magee was arrested after an extensive investigation by police, according to Police Chief William Wilson.  The investigation included interviews with the brother of the patient, as well as the director of nursing.  Wilson noted there was a significant time lapse between the investigation and Magee’s arrest.  The arrest took place after police consulted with the Suffolk County District Attorney‘s office.

On February 19th, Southampton Village Police responded to the Hamptons Center on County Road 39 once again, this time due to possible theft from a resident.  A female patient claimed that she had signed checks that totaled about $800 and given them to an employee of the facility for safekeeping, according to police.  When the resident asked the employee for her money, she was informed that unpaid debts had led to her bank account being frozen.

Police spoke to Vince Liaguno, the new administrator of the center, and Jennifer O’Leary, a social worker for the center, who claimed that a formal grievance had been filed.  She also said that the facility was taking administrative action against the employee involved in the incident.

New York Nursing home abuse and neglect is a problem that unfortunately seems to be on the increase.  While some claim that this is due to a shortage of skilled nurses and temporary staffing agencies who provide under-qualified nurses, it is no excuse for treating our elderly or disabled family members poorly.

If your loved one has been the victim of abuse or neglect in a nursing home or elderly care facility, contact a competent New York nursing home abuse attorney at once.  Your loved one has rights; this type of treatment is not acceptable, and nursing homes must be held accountable for actions of their employees.

It seems like nursing home abuse and neglect is always making the headlines.  Now, the Ridgecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Deland Florida is being investigated for abuse, following the events that took place regarding a 76-year-old patient of the center.

Graystone Healthcare Management owns Ridgecrest and operates 28 other nursing homes in Florida, Indiana and Ohio.

A 76-year-old unidentified patient broke two legs and a shoulder after falling out of her bed, and had to wait approximately 12 hours before she was treated.  The fall occurred at 5 am as her bedding was being changed, according to DeLand police Deputy Chief Randel Henderson.  The patient was returned to her bed after the accident occurred, and it was 4:42 that afternoon before emergency workers were brought in to tend to her injuries, after shift change at the center.  According to the Daytona Beach News Journal, the patient was finally admitted to the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

The matter is currently being reviewed by the Agency for Health Care Administration, which is responsible for 31 nursing homes in two counties in Florida.  The last inspection of Ridgecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center took place during October, and nine deficiencies were noted at that time.  These deficiencies included food storage issues and accident hazards, according to reports in Daytona Beach News Journal.

Too often today, reports similar to this lead the news headlines.  It seems that neglect and abuse of our elderly family members is on the rise, with no end in sight.  It is widely known that there is a shortage of nurses and other professionals in the healthcare field, but this is no excuse for the treatment these elderly individuals often fall victim to.

We place our elderly loved ones in these facilities so that they can be cared for and given the medical attention they need.  They should be bathed, given medications on time, fed nutritious meals and closely monitored to insure that falls are not a worry.  This is rarely the case, and putting our trust in these facilities is becoming harder to do.

If your loved one has been injured, abused or neglected in a nursing home or elder care facility, contact a reputable New York nursing home neglect or abuse lawyer at once.