Alzheimer's Patients At Risk

Nursing home residents who suffer from Alzheimer's or other mental impairment are at greater risk of being abused or neglected because these residents often lack the awareness to recognize and report the mistreatment.

Sad news emerged out of Pittsburgh, PA this Christmas season:

On December 24, 2008, Allegheny County police announced that, for months, a group of five caretakers at Kane Regional Hospital abused a 94-year-old Alzheimer's patient, cursing and laughing at her, punching her, throwing oranges at her, and, in one instance, pouring lotion over her head. All five caretakers were arrested and charged.

The women were arrested after other staff members at the county-operated nursing home told police they saw the suspects assaulting Ms. Bryant over the course of at least six months, criminal complaints say.

The criminal complaints detail several instances during which staff members said they saw the caretakers physically assaulting the victim, calling her obscenities and striking her -- even as she cried out and begged them to stop.

One witness told police that on Oct. 29, she watched as Ms. Taylor hit the victim in the eye with her fist as she was seated in her wheelchair near the nurse's station on the second floor of the hospital. The same witness told detectives she heard Ms. Taylor cursing at the victim on "multiple occasions," and "also witnessed the victim being struck by an orange that Ms. Taylor threw" at her, the complaint said.

That same month, a Kane employee told police, she saw Ms. Keene walk past the victim and stomp on her foot. She returned a few minutes later and "struck the victim in the forehead with her hand," the complaint said.

Ms. Keene verbally assaulted and stomped on the victim's feet "a number of times," actions that went on for at least six months, another witness told police. And a third witness said she heard the victim cry, "Oh, stop hitting me," and "Ouch, you're hurting me," while Ms. Keene struck her, according to the complaint.

The victim would "often cry out, 'You are hurting me,' when Ms. Perry would strike" her, the complaint said. A witness told police she saw Ms. Perry hit the victim with her fist in the chest on at least four occasions. At least once, the complaint says, Ms. Perry threw oranges at the victim's face.
In another incident, Ms. Perry poured lotion on the victim's head "and then laughed," the complaint said.

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