In Utica, New York, the Department of Health is reportedly investigating nursing home abuse at the St. Joseph Nursing Home, according to UticaOD.com. The investigation is allegedly based on a recording of an employee repeatedly swearing at a patient, however the State has not confirmed that is the basis of the investigation.
A former employee of the facility claims to have made the recording at the end of March. It involves a resident with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The employee believes that her actions led to her being fired 2 weeks later. However, the nursing home denies that that is the reason for the employee being let go and that the facility itself notified the State after they became aware of the recording. The employee also claims that a noise on the tap is another employee striking the resident on the hand.
The nursing home scored low on a recent State evaluation. They were in the bottom twenty percent in the State of New York in 7 out of 19 categories, and they were fined $12,000.
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