Grand jury indicts woman in elder abuse case

A Maury County woman was arrested this month after allegedly abusing her elderly parent in a Mt. Pleasant nursing home.

At the request of Adult Protective Services and the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, TBI agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated a complaint of exploitation of an adult at a nursing home in Mt. Pleasant.

During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Jessica Woods, 33, the daughter of a resident there, allegedly misappropriated more than $17,000 of her father’s money, from August 2015 through August 2016.

The investigation revealed that Woods eventually removed her father from the nursing home, leaving more than $26,000 of unpaid bills.

On Aug. 1, the Maury County grand jury returned indictments charging Woods with one count of theft of services and one count of willful abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Woods, a native of Indianapolis, was arrested on Aug. 3, and booked into the Maury County Jail on charges of willful neglect and abuse of an adult and theft in services over $10,000 She has since been released after posting a $10,000 bond.

According to a 2016 segment form Nashville Public Television, there are more than 5 million elder abuse victims in the United States, more than the combined total of child abuse victims and domestic violence victims.

The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability calls elder a abuse a growing problem in the the state.

The National Center on Elder Abuse, or NCEA, defines elder abuse as “intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or ‘trusted’ individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder.”

Physical abuse, neglect, emotional or psychological abuse, financial abuse and exploitation, sexual abuse and abandonment are considered forms of elder abuse. In many states, self-neglect is also considered mistreatment.

Younger adults with disabilities may qualify for the same services and protections.

Recent incidents

In July, state officials halted admissions to Westmoreland Health and Rehabilitation Center, one of the biggest nursing homes in Knoxville, after an investigation concluded that a bedridden dementia patient fractured both her knees in a fall, but was left in agony and untreated for more than a week, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

The home must also pay $30,000 in penalties and will now be observed by a state appointed monitor, according to a report from the Knoxville News Sentinel.

During the incident, which occurred in November, the unidentified patient fractured her knees while falling out of bed in front of a nurse assistant, and complained of “intense pain,” according to state records.

The records indicate it took the nursing home five days to perform an X-ray, and another four days before the patient was seen by a doctor.

After the patient was sent to a hospital for surgery, she died a month later.

In August, a Morristown man was charged with aggravated elder abuse in what was described as the alleged suspect’s horrific neglect of his 92-year-old grandfather, The Citizen Tribune reported.

According to the Morristown Police Department, first responders found Elbert C. Williams stuck to a couch,” covered in feces and open wounds, and suffering from dehydration.

The primary caregiver, Matthew Allen McReynolds, 24, was arrested for the incident and jailed for failing to appear in court.

Reporting abuse

If elder abuse is suspected, the state urges the public to contact the the Adult Protective Services which investigates reports of abuse, neglect (including self-neglect) or financial exploitation of adults who are unable to protect themselves due to a physical or mental limitation.

The APS can by contacted by phone at 1-(888)-APS-TENN or 1-(888) 277-8366.

Reports can also be submitted online at https://reportadultabuse.dhs.tn.gov/, using a form provided by the Department of Human Services.

Additionally, those with suspicions, or who want to verify that a person isn’t already on record, can visit the Tennessee Department of Health’s Abuse Registry to search by name or social security number.

Knoxville and Memphis both host what are known as Family Justice Centers, places where victims of domestic violence and abuse can find the resources they need from police, lawyers, medical assistance, planning and safe options to relocate.

In 2013, Chattanooga, Cookeville, and Nashville were awarded funding to create their own Family Justice Centers. In Nashville, The Jean Crowe Advocacy Center is located at 100 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 114, Nashville, TN 37201. Operating hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center’s 24-hour hotline is (615) 862-4767. The center can also be reached for non-emergencies by fax at (615) 862-4768 or email at jeancroweadvocacycenter@nashville.gov.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services’ Adult Protective Services unit is currently partnering with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and the Tennessee Vulnerable Adult Coalition, or TVAC, to help raise awareness and stop elder abuse.

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Grand jury indicts woman in elder abuse case