Unsatisfied with the nursing home’s explanation for the dozens of bruises on their 84-year-old grandmother, the family of Armeda Thomas, an 84-year-old resident at Madison Manor Nursing Home decided to place a video camera in the disabled woman’s room. The video tape confirmed that Thomas was the victim of physical and verbal abuse from the staff at the facility. The video revealed the following evidence of abusive behavior on the part of nursing home staff:

Failed to bathe Thomas
Failed to feed Thomas.
Taunting and mocking the disabled woman
Pulled residents out of bed by their neck
Let Thomas lay on the floor for an hour before any aid was provided

Following the discovery of the videotaped abuse, the Attorney General began a criminal investigation which revealed the nursing home failed to investigate injuries of ‘unknown origin’ to 17 cognitively impaired residents at the facility. Kentucky nursing home investigators issued a Type-A citation to the nursing home determining the conditions at the facility posed immediate danger to the residents.

According to Kentucky nursing home records, the facility has corrected the violations posing immediate jeopardy to residents and is working to correct the less serious violations. Madison Manor is part of the Richmond Health and Rehabilitation Complex and is owned by Extendicare, a national nursing home operator.

Although the nursing home employees behavior is inexcusable, blame for this barbaric treatment also falls on Extendicare. The fact that there are multiple episodes of abusive behavior can only mean that Extendicare has failed to provide adequate training and supervision for its employees.

For laws related to Kentucky nursing homes, look here.

Robert Fraser says:

December 1, 2008 at 9:35 pm

Wow, I am a nursing student and it is sad to see this kind of behaviour by any one in the profession I am planning to join. I hope that issues like these are addressed to prevent such things from happening.

Jonathan Rosenfeld's Nursing Homes Abuse Blog says:

April 2, 2009 at 5:46 am

Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Filed Against Extendicare

Ricky Hamilton, the husband of Kimberly Hamilton, has filed a nursing home negligence lawsuit against Kenwood Nursing Home and the facilities parent company, Extendicare in Madison Circuit Court. The lawsuit alleges the nursing home deviated from acce…

The Rage says:

July 14, 2009 at 3:56 am

It’s happening ALOT down here in South Carolina too and even in the hospitals themselves. AND the citizens seem oblvious to it OR if they’re remotely aware, AMBILVALENT/Without any Compassion for victimes, until ofcourse, it hits home.
Problem is, some of these homes are “protected” thru loopholes in the law. The bigger, the more protected. The smaller?. You could be a victim yourself (owner/operator) if a DSS inspector has it out for you. Sometimes relatives have finally had enough of the abuse and neglect, take their loved-ones OUT of the situation ONLY to find DSS waiting for them at home to file abuse charges againt the relatives/rescuers..It’s maddening AND under ‘Bama’s aka Hillary;’s “OLDE” Health Plan, it’ll only get worse.

heather says:

March 23, 2012 at 11:09 am

I am an SRNA and have been for over 8 years. I think it is deplorable that after years of raising children and paying their own dues to the world that these poor elderly people have nothing more to look forward to than abuse and neglect from the very people who are suppossed to be helping them. The elderly and disabled require special care and love from those who work for them because sadly, a lot of times they are dumped in these homes by their families and left there to die. An alarming amount of residents NEVER have visitors and the only thing they can look forward to is the smiling faces of those who take care of them. That is what we should be doing is taking care of them. I always think “what if that was my kin?”. I would want them to be treated with dignity and respect because they deserve no less. I hope that those responsible are punished to the full extent of the law for their actions. How awful it must feel to have the only people you can trust betray and abuse you.