Two arrested, nine suspended after families install “granny cams” at New Hope facility.
Two nursing assistants at a
New Hope nursing home have been fired and arrested, and nine others
suspended, after family members used hidden cameras to uncover physical
abuse.
The
two fired employees at Saint Therese of New Hope face possible criminal
charges after they were caught on camera allegedly abusing at least two
residents. The home suspended nine other nursing assistants on
suspicion they failed to report the abuse and used cellphones in
residents’ rooms, according to a July 1 letter from Saint Therese
obtained by the Star Tribune.
Family
members who spotted bruises and cuts on their loved ones installed
hidden cameras in their rooms. After watching the video, taken over
several weeks, New Hope police on June 23 arrested the two former
nursing assistants. The Star Tribune does not generally name suspects
until they have been charged.
“They
did things that I would not want done to relatives of mine if they were
in a nursing home,” said Steven Sondrall, the city attorney, who has
reviewed portions of the video. “Inappropriate conduct definitely
occurred.”
The
extent of the alleged abuse remains unclear. New Hope police declined
to share the video and an incident report or to release the names of the
alleged victims. In a letter to residents’ family members, Saint
Therese referred to the conduct as “abusive” and cause for “great
concern,” but provided no details of the misconduct.
“Of
course this conduct is intolerable and contrary to all we stand for,
which is why the employees involved were dismissed,” wrote Saint Therese
campus administrator Dinah Kmetz in the July 1 letter to family
members.
Barbara Rode, president and chief executive at Saint Therese, did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.
Mother moved
Founded
in 1968 and affiliated with the Catholic Church, Saint Therese owns
four senior living communities in the Twin Cities. The Saint Therese
foundation and its affiliates had revenue of $46 million in the 2014
fiscal year.
Frustrated
by a lack of information, at least one family member already has taken
action. On Monday, less than a week after learning of the alleged abuse,
Sally Wright said she moved her ailing, 92-year-old mother to a new
senior home in northeast Minneapolis.
Wright
said she had in recent months spotted multiple bruises on her mother’s
arms and legs; but had assumed they were the result of the inevitable
bumping that occurs when she is moved in and out of her wheelchair and
bed. But now, Wright said she is not sure the injuries were innocent.
Her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, is incapable of
recalling events that occurred more than a day earlier and often
struggles to craft complete sentences.
“My
God, it’s a terrifying feeling to have a parent with Alzheimer’s in a
facility where there is alleged physical abuse,” Wright said. “She can’t
tell me if something is not right, and I can’t be there 24 hours a day …
so I was left with no choice but to move [my mother]. The trust was
gone.”
A rising trend
Although
some states place limits on electronic surveillance for privacy
reasons, family members increasingly are turning to hidden,
round-the-clock cameras as a way to catch neglect and abuse in senior
homes. The cameras, often referred to as “granny cams,” can be so small
they go unnoticed by staff members. In New York, the placement of hidden
cameras in the bedrooms of nursing home residents in 2008 led the
arrest of 19 nursing home staff; footage showed workers chatting and
watching movies rather than checking on patients.
“It
is certainly fair to say that [cameras] are one tool that can be used
to protect your loved ones,” said Iris Freeman, board president of the
Minnesota Elder Justice Center and adjunct professor at the William
Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.
In
this case, the hidden camera video footage was vital. The cuts and
bruises were not proof of abuse, though family members felt they were
too numerous to ignore, police said. Based largely on the videos, the
New Hope police have recommended that both former nursing assistants be
charged with mistreatment of residents.
The city attorney is awaiting the outcome of a state Department of Health investigation before filing charges.
“Without
the video, it would have been a really difficult case,” said New Hope
Police Capt. Scott Slawson. “This is a very vulnerable population and
they are susceptible to injuries, and it’s always hard to say what the
origins of some of those injuries are. … The video gives a very clear
view of a slice in time.”
This
marks the second time in less than a year that a Saint Therese facility
has been investigated for alleged physical abuse. In early 2014, a
staff member at Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake, in Brooklyn Park, slapped a
resident who suffered from severe dementia. A witness to the incident
told state investigators the staff member “laughed a little” after
slapping the resident and then walked out of the room, according to a
state report.
An
investigation by the Department of Health found that the Saint Therese
staff member, and not the facility, was responsible for the abuse.
Full Article & Source:
Hidden camera catches abuse at nursing home; two arrested
