There are certain stories that can bring us to our ethical knees; not from gratitude mind you, but from the shock, from the way it can take our ethical breath away. The story by Travis Gettys appeared in U.S. News on October 31, 2014, but it was hardly a Disney Halloween movie.
The article, entitled: “Hidden camera reveals Florida nursing home aides abusing Alzheimer’s patient,” details patient abuse in Winter Haven nursing home, the Palm Gardens Nursing Home. The story begins with a dutiful son.
“Dale Wilson noticed unusual bruising on his 76-year-old father’s arms and legs and reported the injuries. Employees were unable to explain the injuries, so the 53-year-old Wilson set up a ‘nanny camera’ in his father’s room and discovered the women tormenting and hitting the ill man.”
The father was unable to defend himself. He has Alzheimer’s disease and is feeble. He has lost the ability to communicate. As was reported, the son said to the father:
“I did tell him that, I am so sorry for what he had to endure here,” Wilson said. “I said I had no idea what was happening to you. I said, ‘I know there were people in here being mean to you, (but) they can’t be mean to you anymore — they’re gone, I promise.’”
Anyone who has an elderly parent, or knows of a family with an incapacitated relative or friend in a nursing home will immediately relate to the son’s pain.
They’re gone
The two employees who abused and tormented the patient have been arrested and charged with battery of an elderly person on October 7, October 16 and October 24. There was another case of abuse on Mr. Wilson by another certified nursing assistant (CAN) also on October 7, and he was yet again abused on October 24 by two other nursing assistants. In all, six certified nursing assistants are under investigation.
They were kicking him, stomping on his feet, rubbing his face, yelling at him, pretending to punch and hit him.
In my opinion, I cannot believe Mr. Wilson was the only patient to be abused in the facility. I think the pattern was well established and almost accepted as the norm among the staff. In my opinion, I also believe the administration of the nursing facility shares the blame for this shameful behavior.
That the CNA’s deserved to be fired, is not even in question; their licenses also need to be revoked and they should never again be able to work in patient care. There is no excuse they could offer me and none that I would accept.
However the Palm Gardens Nursing Home is another matter altogether, and if they have a parent organization, they need to be brought into the conversation.
Unethical behavior often occurs when the conditions allow for the opportunity to occur. I often find that unethical behavior brings forward a whole series of justifications.
Six CNA’s have been implicated in abusing the patient. I am guessing that most of them did not start out as mean and abusive people. Something happened; a short temper became a slap; a life frustration became a punch. When one got away with it, another piled on out of a perverse sense of friendship or as part of an accepted group practice. While they were engaging in this behavior, were they complaining of the low pay or the management? Were they kicking and stomping him because of deep prejudices or hatred? We won’t know. We do know that an elderly man with Alzheimer’s was abused by people who absolutely knew better.
Yes, I understand that nursing home work is hard work and it is emotionally draining; it can be repulsive and disgusting – let’s be honest, but it is necessary work and honest work. It is, after all, work and not prison. Every abusive employee had a choice.
The Ethical Wall
Mandatory and continuing ethical training would have made the difference in this case with monitoring, follow-up and positive staff reinforcement. It obviously did not occur. Nursing homes are money making propositions and in the very least, the nursing home staff should have realized that un-checked, unethical behavior could have led to many negative ramifications for the facility. If I had an elderly patient in that facility, he or she would have been transferred by now.
The direct consequence for all of the abuse allegations is a guaranteed loss of business, a loss of reputation and most importantly a loss of humanity. We entrust people to care for those we cannot care for ourselves. We give over our parents or friends with heavy hearts and when our trust is violated due to poor ethics, it is impossible to justify.
If you have had an issue of elder abuse…please share as I believe this is a pervasive problem.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME