Residents of Some Homes Routinely Victims of Care Center Abuse

Austin, TXFor some people living in care homes, care center abuse is a regular fact of life. Although not all residential homes are terrible places, even seemingly good homes may have employees who commit elder abuse or care home negligence. When the owners of such homes allow residents to be abused and victimized, family members may have to step in and ask the courts for help. Unfortunately, in some cases of nursing home abuse, the abuse is not seen until after the resident has died.

The Statesman (9/15/12) reports the case of David Taylor, who was 28 years old when he died of blunt force trauma to his abdomen. He was living at Richmond State Supported Living Center, a home for people with disabilities, in 2010 when he died. Two employees were fired and indicted, while Taylor's distraught family filed a federal lawsuit against the state for failure to properly supervise and screen employees.

According to The Statesman, in Texas since 2009 there have been more than 1,100 employees fired for abuse and/or neglect of residents and 400 incidents of abuse and neglect could be referred to local law enforcement. Among the abuse and neglect were cases in which residents were punched, kicked or choked. Furthermore, some reports suggest that coworkers routinely fail to report abuse and neglect within an hour of being made aware of it.

Texas is not the only state to have problems with care center abuse. NBC Bay Area (8/23/12) reports that Sonoma Developmental Center, home to more than 500 people with intellectual disabilities, could lose federal funding due to inadequate medical care and failure to prevent abuse. According to an inspection report by the Department of Public Health, individuals at the center are subjected to abuse, neglect, unnecessary medications and denial of individual freedoms.

Among issues cited by the report were the failure of the facility to investigate evidence of alleged violations, failure to ensure residents did not suffer further abuse at the hands of alleged abusers, and failure to report allegations of mistreatment, neglect or abuse. The report also cited instances of sexual abuse, lewd conduct and inadequate medical practices that put patients at risk.

The report, found online, is nearly 500 pages long and cites serious conditions of abuse, neglect and mistreatment. In July 2012, the same center was reportedly the site of a staff member shooting patients with a taser. Sonoma remains open, but could lose federal funding because of the instances outlined in the report. No word on what will happen to the residents of the home if that happens.