California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

A certified nursing assistant working in a San Diego nursing home is being held on charges of rape and elder abuse after being caught having sex with a nursing home resident. According to reports, an employee of the El Dorado Care Center in El Cajon walked into the room of an elderly patient and saw Felix Panem sexually assaulting the patient. Panem is being held on $450,000 bail, and faces a possible 10 year sentence if convicted.

Sexual assault in the nursing home is not common, but it is certainly not rare. Because of age and infirmity, including memory problems such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, nursing home residents can be fairly easy targets for the criminally inclined. The Walton Law Firm has has cases involving sexual assault, physical abuse, and burglary committed by employee caregivers. Sometimes it's just a rouge employee, but there are times when the facilities fail to perform adequate background checks that would have revealed the criminal propensity of a caregiver.

Investigators told the Union Tribune that they believe that the elderly resident is Panem's only victim, but believe that she may have been raped by him on other occasions. The El Dorado Care Center is a skilled-nursing facility on Washington Street in El Cajon, California.

Source: signonsandiego.com

The San Diego elder abuse and neglect lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent individuals who have suffered abuse or neglect in the hospital, nursing home, or residential care setting. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation, of fill out an online form.

SANTA BARBARA - Sheriffs have arrested a 35-year-old man in the alleged rape of a 36-year-old developmentally disabled woman. Christopher Coates was arrested last Wednesday and is being held on $100,000 bail.

According to new accounts, Coates was a caregiver at a residential care facility in Santa Barbara County (the name has not been released) in June when police received information from an employee, who told police that the victim had complained of being sexually assaulted. An investigation led to the arrest of Coates, who lives in Goleta, and who was no longer employed at the facility at the time of his arrest.

Under California law, the facility could be held responsible for the sexual assault upon the disable adult. California's Elder Abuse Act applies equally to "dependent adults," who are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 64, and who reside in a custodial care facility.

Source: The Daily Sound

The abuse and neglect lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent elder and dependent adults who have suffered abuse or neglect in the hospital, nursing home, or residential care setting. Call (866) 607-1325 for a free and confidential consultation.

A nursing home in suburban Chicago has been sued for failing to protect a 69-year-old resident from a sexual assault by a 21-year-old mentally ill man. According to the lawsuit, which alleges nursing home negligence and elder abuse, the skilled nursing facility tried to cover up the rape by telling authorities that it was consensual sex.

This case highlights the dangers in mixing elderly residents with younger patients who suffer from mental illness. The lawyer from the victim contends that a profit motive drives homes to mix residents.

"The only possible reason that you would be in this situation is a profit motive," said Pete Flowers, attorney for the woman. "You want more residents in your facility, but you're unwilling to pay for the necessary elements to protect all the residents."

According to the Chicago Tribune, the 21-year-old resident was missing at bed check, but no effort was made to find his whereabouts. Later in the evening, a night shift nurse heard the elderly woman moaning and entered her room to find the victim crying in her bed. Incredibly, the rapist was in the facility for bipolar disorder with aggression and told the staff shortly after his admission that he was sexually frustrated.

The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Walton Law Firm LLP provide free consultations to individuals and families who believe a loved one has been abuse or neglected in the nursing home or assisted living setting.