Take action if you suspect nursing home abuse

A woman suspected her grandmother was being abused in her Bronx nursing home, Gold Crest Care Center. So she decided to find out, installing a hidden camera in her grandmother’s room. She says the results shocked her.

She had noted bruises and markings on her grandmother’s skin, but her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s, was unable to tell her whether she was being abused. The hidden camera confirmed her worst suspicions, the granddaughter says.

After viewing the 600 hours of footage captured by the hidden camera, she knew that the abuse was not just a suspicion.

She saw an aide grabbing her grandmother’s arm, slamming her into the bed and other rough treatment. The aide has since been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person. The granddaughter reported that an additional three staffers had been fired from the nursing home.

After watching the video, she had her grandmother transferred to the emergency room of a hospital and subsequently to another nursing home in New Rochelle. The Gold Crest Care Center is not commenting on the matter because of pending criminal and civil actions.

The granddaughter was correct to act on her suspicions. Family members who notice unexplained injuries at any level should take action to keep their loved ones safe. This is especially true when the nursing home resident is incapacitated and unable to describe abuse. Family members need to be alert to unsafe conditions, whether the situation involves abuse, poor sanitation, lack of staff or other conditions that could endanger the safety of their loved one.

Source: ABCLocal, “Woman says grandmother abused at nursing home,” Feb. 15, 2013.