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Former employee sentenced in nursing home abuse case

Many families select a nursing home for their older loved ones based on the belief that those family members will be well-cared for by the staff. Nursing home abuse may be the farthest thing from their minds. Pennsylvania families may benefit from learning more about the outcome of one such incident in a neighboring state.

A former caregiver at one nursing facility was recently sentenced to jail for 12 months after she attacked a stroke patient in her care. The 20-year-old woman was convicted after she hit the elderly woman in the face as she lay in bed. The victim suffered from bruises, swollen eye lids and a tear to the skin on her hand. The now-convicted woman is also said to have thrown a cup of liquid at the 85-year-old woman and threatened to cause her further harm.

The judge was outraged at the woman's actions and determined that she warranted the 12-month sentence in light of the defenselessness of the victim. The woman was fired after the assault. She was also arrested on an unrelated charge regarding a burglary. She was subsequently released into a drug treatment program after entering a guilty plea on that charge. She also pleaded guilty to the assault at the nursing home, a felony charge in the fourth-degree.

The victim required full-time care for some time after the incident and later transferred to another facility due to her fear of another assault. As a result, she no longer has the companionship of her sister who is still a resident of the first facility. The family has urged others in similar circumstances to visit their loved ones regularly in order to ensure they do not fall victim to cruel or inhumane treatment. If Pennsylvania families suspect a loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse, they have every right to consult with an attorney who can provide information concerning their rights in these disturbing situations.

Source: chillicothegazette.com, "Woman gets 1 year for nursing home abuse", Jona Ison, Feb. 9, 2017

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