Elder Law

Nursing Home Residents Brunt of Cruel Joke

By Levin & Perconti

A new Associated Press report describes a horrific example elder abuse involving the dehumanization of elderly residents at nursing home.

Authorities recently arrested six employees at the Valley View Skilled Nursing Facility in Ukiah, California for a grotesque ?joke? involving the inhumane abuse of the residents in their care. The employees allegedly covered several residents with a slippery cream. The purpose was to ?grease? the residents so that their co-workers would have a difficult time handling the residents when providing basic care, like using the restroom and moving from one location to another.
The abused residents suffered from dementia and were therefore unable to speak up for themselves.

The possibility for physical injury from slipping and falling alone is enough to jolt anyone?s sense of compassion. But the extreme disregard for the humanity and dignity of the residents is perhaps even more disturbing.

No words can properly describe the callous, calculated, disgusting treatment of elderly residents by the very people charged with their care. What is perhaps most shocking is that the incident involved not one, but six separate employees at the nursing home. Facilities often claim that abuse only occurs rarely and is caused by isolated, renegade individuals. However, as this example demonstrates, many nursing homes fosters a culture in which many employees feel that treating their residents as inanimate objects is acceptable behavior.

Stories like these are exactly why our Chicago nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti spend every day fighting for the rights of abused and neglected elderly residents. There are thousands of other seniors stuck in homes just like Valley View who have no one standing up for them when they are treated like objects to be laughed at. Our nursing home attorneys will continue to provide a voice for residents. Please contact our office if you suspect any mistreatment at a nursing home near you.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on August 05, 2010 (boomark / email).