Jonathan Rosenfeld's Nursing Homes Abuse Blog : Jonathan Rosenfeld's Nursing Homes Abuse Blog | Lawyer & Attorney : Strellis & Field Law Firm | Bed Sores, Senior Neglect, Elder Abuse, Sexual Abuse: Chicago, Illinois

Sure looks can be deceiving, but this guy sure looks creepy to me!

The guy pictured above is Franklin D. Hughes, a former CNA at Bartlesville Care Center.  If his creepy looks weren't enough, Mr. Hughes stands accused of sexually assaulting two dementia patients he was responsible for caring for at Bartlesville.

Making situation even more tragic is that Mr. Hughes was was accused of committing similar sexual acts with dementia patients at his prior job at the Nowata Nursing Center.  

According to a court affidavit, the patients at Nowata filed complaints with the Oklahoma State Department of health in 2003 and 2007.  Probably due to the patients dementia, the cases were closed because the patients could not provide details of the sexual abuse.

Admittedly, I am unfamiliar with the reporting professional reporting policies in Oklahoma, but if Bartlesville Care Center officials had access to the state's investigative file relating to Mr. Hughes prior conduct and either failed to make an inquiry or turned a blind eye, they certainly may open themselves to civil liability with respect to these most recent incidents.

Read more about this abusive CNA in an Oklahoma nursing home here.

Related Nursing Homes Abuse Blog:

Ohio Nurse Sentenced To 12 and 1/2 Years For Sexually Abusing 100 Nursing Home Residents

'Senior Sitter' Charged With Sexual Assault Of Nursing Home Residents

Nurses Admit To Problems At Nursing Homes

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

There is a general assumption that the more you work you put into your career, the more opportunities you will have for advancement.  That is, unless you are certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a nursing home.  A new study published in The Gerontologist paints a relatively bleak work future for CNA's working in nursing homes today.

The National Nursing Assistant Survey sampled 3,017 CNA's working in nursing homes.  CNA's were surveyed in: recruitment, education, training and licensure, job history, family life, management and supervision, client relations, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, workplace environment and work related injuries.  

The survey outcomes leave me wondering-- 'why would anyone want to be a CNA in a nursing home?' Among the survey results:

• One in three CNA's receives some form of public assistance
• Over 50% of the CNA's suffered at least one work-place injury over the course of the last year
• Work-related injuries required 25% of the nursing to take time off from work
• 42% of the CNA's not participating in their employers sponsored insurance plan due to the fact they could not afford to participate
• Experience means nothing--- well almost-- in terms of pay, CNA's with 10 year or more job experience earn just $2.00 more per hour than their counterparts with just began working in the industry

My guess is that the inherent 'problems' with the job force urgently needed CNA's into more lucrative areas.  More experienced CNA's will undoubtedly leave their current positions until the industry chooses to put a premium on improving working conditions for this under-paid, and injury-prone group. Consequently, too few highly-skilled CNA's will remain to care for the growing nursing home population.

At the end of the day, who can blame them?

Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Entries On Staffing

A Recipe For Danger: Nursing Shortage Could Reach 1M By 2020

High Staff Turnover Rates Plague Most Nursing Homes

Nursing Shortage Is A Crisis

Resource

The National Nursing Assistant Survey: Improving the Evidence Bast for Policy Initiatives to Strengthen The Certified Nursing Assistant Workforce, The Gerontologist, Vol. 49 No. 2, 185-197

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A 43-year-old, male CNA at Magnolia Living Center is under investigation relating to the sexual assault of two female residents.  The first incident allegedly occurred on May 2nd and involves an elderly female resident at the facility.  The incident was brought to authorities attention two days later.  The second incident involving a 51-year-old resident was reported to police on May 12th. 

The incidents are currently under investigation as aggravated assaults with sexual motives.  The suspected CNA has been removed from his position while the investigation continues.

I'm all for giving people a second chance--but why should an alleged sexual molester continue to be around the most vulnerable?

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A CNA at Northwoods Rehabilitation Center, a New York nursing home, is being charged multiple felony charges related to an alleged sexual assault of a 78-year-old resident.  The New York Attorney General has filed criminal charges against Robert Gunderson for sexual assaults that occurred at Northwoods between December, 2007 and January 2008.

Gunderson faces similar charges for sexually assaulting a 28-year-old resident with multiple sclerosis at Eddy Ford Nursing Home.  In that incident Gunderson allegedly inappropriately touched the wheelchair bound resident between August and September, 2008.

Both of these incidents are the the result of New York Attorney General's crackdown on nursing home abuse.  Attorney General Cuomo is an outspoken proponent of use of video cameras in patient rooms to capture inappropriate behavior on tape.  Since Cuomo has initiated the program more than 70 nursing home employees have been arrested or convicted of for abusing nursing home residents.

Read more about this case of nursing home abuse in New York here.

Nursing Homes' Responsibility To Residents

Facilities have a duty to protect residents from physical and psychological harm.  In this sense, preventative measures such as background checks should be conducted for all employees.  If a facility fails to properly screen its employees and the worker physically harms a resident, the facility may be responsible for paying damages from a nursing home lawsuit.

Frequent visits to a nursing home to check on loved ones can be the best defense to situations involving abuse.  Families and friends should be aware of potential signs of nursing home abuse:

• Broken bones
• Bloody clothing
• Sudden emotional withdrawl
• Bruises

If you suspect abuse of a loved one, contact law enforcement officials immediately in order to get help and to secure potential evidence of the crime. 

Related Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Entries

Ohio Nurse Sentenced To 12 and 1/2 Years For Sexually Abusing 100 Nursing Home Residents

Caught On Tape: 90-Year-Old Man Beaten By Home Nurse

Failure To Properly Screen CNA Could Cost Facility 3.5 Million

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks (1)

Can someone please let me know what drives a person to physically abuse a defenseless elder? Is it empowering?  Is it done out of frustration? Does it just feel good?

Out of Texas, Lufkin Police have arrested a certified nurses aide (CNA) in connection with an episode of abuse witnessed by co-workers.  The incident took place on March 22, 2009 at Castle Pines Health and Rehabilitation Center. Apparently, the CNA took an 80-year-old CNA into her room, closed the door and began striking resident.

Staff at the facility were alerted to a potential problem when the resident activated a call light by the bed.  When staff arrived to check on the situation, they witnessed the CNA striking the resident.  A closer inspection of the situation revealed the resident's blood spattered on her bed.  Bruises were also observed on the resident's arms and legs.

Shortly after she was confronted by co-workers, the CNA admitted to 'popping the victim.'

Currently, the CNA is out and about in the community as she posted the necessary $5,000 bond shortly after she was taken into custody.

About Castle Pines

We make it our top priority to care for seniors with the respect, compassion and dignity they deserve. We understand that caring is what makes a community and without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community. It's what sets us apart from any other long-term care facility.

Here at Castle Pines Health & Rehabilitation our nursing staff is overly-courteous, respectful and maintains a high level of professionalism at all times. Our primary goal is to get you back in a condition to be independent once again while maintaining a friendly environment and providing nutritionally enhanced meals.

I guess the CNA involved in this incident missed orientation?

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Seemingly straight out of the fiction section, another CNA stands accused of punching an elderly person she was responsible for caring for. The Champaign County Sheriff arrested Sharoia D. Hill of Danville, IL, for the aggravated battery of a senior citizen. 

The alleged battery took place at the Champaign County Nursing Home in Southern Illinois, where Hill was a CNA in the Alzheimer's unit.  According to Hill's co-workers, the elderly man involved would not return a gait belt, used to help transfer residents, back to Hill.  In apparent retaliation, Hill punched the man two times with a closed fist.  A co-worker witnessed the abuse and immediately alerted authorities.

Hill has been working at the Champaign County Nursing Home since March 17th.  If convicted of the felony charges, Hill faces two to five years in prison and fines up to $25,000.

Is the facility responsible for the actions of the CNA?

If the facility had knowledge of the CNA's violent tendencies or the facility failed to do a proper background check prior to hiring they may be held responsible for this incident.  If however, the facility had no prior knowledge of this CNA's violent propensities, it is unlikely that they have an legal responsibility in a civil lawsuit. 

Web Resources

Police: Nursing Home Worker Punches Patient, Illinoishomepage.net

Nursing home employee accused of hitting resident, The News-Gazette.com

The National Center For Victims of Crime: Elder Abuse

Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Posts Related To Champaign County Nursing Home

Medicare Fraud Unit To Investigate Illinois Nursing Home

Most Nursing Home Deaths Remain Uninvestigated

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (3)
• Trackbacks

A New Lenox CNA recently opened her home to seniors seeking an alternative to large Illinois Nursing Homes.  The New Lenox Patriot reports Holly Hull, a veteran nursing home CNA, has opened Holly's Alternative Care.  Recognizing that many larger nursing homes fail to provide one-on-one interaction and a homelike environment, Hull decided to open her home as a small-scale care facility  

"After 25 years at nursing homes and hospice facilities I decided to work from home while still providing care for seniors.  It is my mission to give them a more focused care in a setting that is safer and more comfortable than a nursing home and at a cheaper rate," said Hull.

Hull's home will accommodate up to two senior at a time.  Each senior will have their own furnished room, a twin bed, TV and dresser.  Meals, housekeeping, laundry, and utilities are included in the monthly rent which is based on the type of care and amount of care provided.  The home is handicapped accessible so seniors with wheelchairs and walkers can freely navigate through her home.

The smaller setting does not mean that the nursing care will be compromised.  Hull and an assistant will still provide 24-hour care to the residents.  Additionally, Hull has experience caring for seniors with special needs.  Hull has cared for seniors with nervous system disorders, diabetes and special diets.

The Nursing Homes Abuse Blog wishes Holly Hull and her facility well.  Hopefully others will take notice that there are viable alternatives to sterile, commercial nursing homes.  Good luck Holly!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A 22-year-old Certified Nurses Aide (CNA) has plead guilty to multiple charges involving nursing home abuse and neglect. Christine Borasky plead guilty to felony charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable person.  Ms. Borasky admitted to spraying foam into the face of an 82-year-old nursing home resident.  Additionally, this CNA pulled the woman's hair and squeezed the nursing home resident's hand so hard that it broke.  Under the terms of the plea agreement, this CNA must surrender her license and will be on probation for 5 years.  Read more about this bad nurse here.

What in the world draws people like this to nursing care?  With valuable skills like pulling hair and breaking hands this young lady should send her resume to the World Wrestling Federation.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A certified nurses assistant (CNA) is now behind bars following a brutal episode at Ashley Manor, a Colorado nursing home.  According to local police, 23-year-old Kalen Randolph stuck an Alzheimer's patient multiple times before fleeing the facility altogether and leaving all the residents of the facility unattended.  The 74-year-old victim suffered injuries to his head, ear and hand.  Mr. Randolph is charged with eight counts of neglect and one count of second degree assault.  Read more about this incident of nursing home abuse here.

How do things like this happen in facilities today?  How can a facility allow one person to care for all the residents by themselves?  What would happen if this were a medical emergency or fire and the sole nursing home employee was responsible for the care and safety of all residents?  No one is asking me, but having a facility staffed by one person seems like trouble on so many fronts.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A woman accused of sneaking into Beaverton's Maryville Nursing Home has been arrested.
Theresa Kim Smith is a certified nursing assistant in the Portland area and someone the police listed as “a person of interest” in a reported theft of Fentanyl pain patches.  The suspect woman posed as an employee at the Maryville Nursing Home on three separate occasions, but no motive was suspected at the time. Tips from the public led police to interview Smith, and the stealing Fentanyl patches from residents could be a possible motive.

Smith, who works at the Care Center East Nursing Home in Portland, is suspected of stealing the pain patches from multiple nursing home locations.  The Oregon State Board of Nursing has been conducting its own investigation into Smith’s reported Fentanyl thefts and has suspended her CNA certification.  Read more about the posing nurse here.

Is the staff turnover at nursing homes so great that the people who actually work at the facilities can not recognize a new face?  Perhaps equally frightening is how lazy these facilities are when it comes to securing such a dangerous drug like Fentanyl.  The authorities should investigate the self-serving Fentanyl incident.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks (1)