Elder Law

Nursing Home Patient Charged with the Murder of another Resident

By Levin & Perconti

An 87-year-old man has been charged with killing his 91-year-old fellow resident at a nursing home. The victim was sitting on a bench outside when the resident struck him in the head. The man was taken to hospice where he died of personal injuries. The death was ruled a homicide and he was charged with second-degree murder and first and second-degree assault. According to experts, elder abuse or exploitation affects 1 million to 2 million people a year in the United States. Incidents in which one elderly person kills another are unusual. Certain incidents can be triggered by a ?catastrophic reaction to some event.? Nursing home staff may have anticipated the attack. Residents who show signs of violent behavior are often relocated quickly to avoid both wrongful death and nursing home abuse. To read more about the nursing home death, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on August 27, 2009 (boomark / email).