I came across this article regarding the abuse of Alzheimer's patients at a Minnesota Nursing Home --the extent of mistreatment makes me sick.  According to a Minnesota Department of Public Health report, 15 residents of the Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home fell victim to ongoing physical and psychological abuse of 4 teenage nursing assistants.  Since the results of the investigation have been disclosed, the employees have been terminated.

The employees were terminated party due to cooperation of a 5th teenage girl implicated in the investigation.  According to the teenage girl, the foursome victimized residents suffer from dementia or related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The report alleges the following incidents of physical abuse and neglect:

• spitting in mouths
• poking breasts and nipples
• putting fingers in mouths
• touching and tapping genitals
• sticking rear ends in faces
• rubbing buttocks
• rubbing penises
• touching perinea
• anal insertion
• holding residents down
• teasing residents

This story is important because it demonstrates a culture of neglect that has developed in many nursing home.  The fact that multiple employees were involved in this incident makes me very skeptical that the nursing home administrator knew nothing if this criminal behavior.  Adding fuel to the fire, an employee told investigators that two of the girls had been “bragging about this for the past one to two months.”

There are 230 Good Samaritan Society locations nationwide, with several across Minnesota. Its full name is the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, but it is not part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The nonprofit company is based in Sioux Falls, S.D.