Two Florida Nursing Home Workers Arrested for Beating Elderly Resident: 

The employees claimed resident-on-resident abuse had occurred, but when the facility’s executive director caught their actions on surveillance video, it was clear an incident of elder abuse and nursing home malpractice involving the two workers had taken place.

Two employees of a Florida nursing home were arrested last month following an alleged incident in which they whipped a male resident with a lanyard and then tackled him to the ground, taking another resident in a wheelchair with him, a Fox News article has reported. According to the article, Rosa Edwards, 23, and Aneisha Xitavia Hall, 19, both workers for the Inspired Living at Ivy Ridge Assisted Living Facility in St. Petersburg, have been charged with two counts of battery on a person older than 65.

The incident of alleged nursing home malpractice, which occurred on March 12, was reported to the police by the executive director of the home. This director had originally been told that the event, which had landed an elderly man and a woman in a wheelchair on the floor of a hallway in the facility, had been a matter of resident-on-resident abuse into which the workers had needed to intervene. Skeptical of this claim, the director viewed the incident on the facility surveillance video, which told a different story.

Deputies alerted by the director opened an investigation into the alleged incident of nursing home malpractice. This investigation revealed the clash was instigated not by a resident-on-resident attack, but by Edwards and Hall, who initiated a squabble with an elderly male resident who was pushing another resident down the hallway in her wheelchair. Tauntingly laughing, Edwards began whipping the man with her lanyard. This incident of elder abuse intensified when a physical altercation ensued: both Edwards and Hall seized the man and tackled him to the floor, also toppling the wheelchair and taking the elderly woman to the ground. Instead of helping the residents, the two workers reportedly left them on the floor and fled.

Neither of the residents were physically harmed. Both employees have been suspended by the home.

Elder abuse is a type of nursing home malpractice that is sadly prevalent in today’s nursing homes. The above incident is indicative of two common types of nursing home abuse: physical and psychological abuse. While the whipping of the elderly resident with the lanyard and the tackling of both residents clearly equals physical abuse, the laughter is indicative of psychological abuse, which happens when a nursing home employee speaks or behaves in such a way that produces fear, humiliation, or distress in an elderly resident.

It is important to be able to recognize signs of nursing home malpractice. The following are symptoms of both physical and psychological nursing home abuse:

• Physical Elder Abuse:
  • Unexplained skin injuries, such as bruises, scratches, or burns
  • Unexplained bone injuries, such as fractures or breaks
  • Unusual behavior in your loved one, such as anxiety, anger, depression, or violence
• Psychological Elder Abuse:
  • Uncharacteristic behavior in your loved one, including agitation, anxiety, lethargy, depression, or violence

Your Attorney Fighting to Protect Against Elder Abuse and Wrongful Death

Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home should live without the fear of being subjected to elder abuse, neglect, or any kind of nursing home malpractice that compromises his or her health or exposes him or her to the possibility of wrongful death. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. With extensive experience as a wrongful death attorney fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Brian Murphy is committed to successfully resolving his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Elder Care Facilities Fail to Meet State Regulations for Hurricane Preparedness

According to an article by NBC news, as Florida entered Labor Day weekend bracing for the potential impact of Hurricane Dorian upon its eastern coast, hundreds of the state’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities had yet to meet the emergency power plan regulations required by state law.

Florida cities from Miami to Jacksonville were on high alert for the impending hurricane, which would hit the Bahamas with Category 5 strength en route toward the southeastern coast of the United States. But just days before Dorian threatened to slam Florida with high winds, heavy rain, and storm surge flooding, 60 percent of the state’s 3,700 elder care facilities that were expected to come into compliance with safety regulations had not yet done so.

Following the death of 14 residents in 2017 when a south Florida nursing home lost air conditioning after Hurricane Irma, new state safety regulations for elder care facilities were swiftly legislated. Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration has since been keeping a close eye on the state’s elder care industry with regard to safety, levying fines against more than 300 facilities who failed to comply with requirements within the last year.

According to the regulations, all Florida elder care facilities must ensure interior temperatures are maintained at 81 degrees or below for at least 96 hours after losing power, a requirement that necessitates the support of generators. With more than a year to comply with requirements, many Florida nursing homes were requesting time extensions to resolve backup power issues even as the 2019 hurricane season closed in upon them. According to NBC’s article, even those facilities requesting more time to secure a generator are required to have at least a temporary generator, a means of obtaining one within 24 hours of losing power, or an evacuation plan.

While some facilities complained about a low generator supply and a lack of installation experts, the state health care administration agency plans to remain vigilant in holding non-compliant nursing homes accountable. And while Dorian looks to stay offshore from Florida and has reduced to a Category 2 hurricane, the damage this hurricane will render to the southeast coast remains to be seen.

Be Sure Your Loved One’s Nursing Home Meets State Safety Standards

When seeking a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home, it’s important to ensure the facility meets all safety regulations. If you are seeking an elder care facility for a loved one and need advice on how best to choose a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home, or if you suspect neglect or abuse has occurred at a Philadelphia/PA or NJ facility where your loved one lives, please contact nursing home abuse attorney Brian P. Murphy to discover your legal rights and options.

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