Nursing Home Company Sued in Elder Abuse Incident
The family of an elderly woman that died as a result of alleged abuse from the staff of the Evangelical Good Samaritan Company in South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against the company. The family claims that the company did not regulate its employees’ actions against elder residents.
In an incident that occurred in 2008, two employees were charged with assault, abuse of vulnerable adults, disorderly conduct by a caregiver and failure to report abuse among other charges. The two employees reportedly led a group of young employees in the facility and they poked residents’ breasts, held them down, and rubbed their genitals among other acts. The lawsuit claims the company failed to screen its employees. The facility in question cooperated fully with law enforcement during the investigation.
Although the company should in fact screen their employees better and monitor their actions, it also falls on the employees themselves to conduct themselves professionally. In an elder care facility, hospital, or any other medical facility, most people believe it is a place where they can get medical assistance without poor treatment. The employees are responsible for their own behavior and treatment of residents in a nursing facility or medical facility. While the company could share some degree of blame for the conduct of its employees, the employees ultimately are the ones that should be held accountable for their actions.
