Two Teenage Employees Charged with Nursing Home Abuse and Videotaping the Incident
South Elgin residents Chemyra Barnett, 18, and Jacqueline Santos, 18, were charged with aggravated battery of a person over 60, and unlawful videotaping, according to St. Charles police.
Both suspects are still students of South Elgin High School. Their bonds for the nursing home abuse charges were set to $15,000 each on Friday, and they will appear in court on the abuse charges on March 27th.
Conditions of their bond included no contact with the care facility, the victim, or the victim’s family. They were also banned from using their cell phones or disseminating video in any way for any reason.
On Thursday, March 16th, police informed the Rosewood Care Facility that two of its employees had been accused of nursing home abuse. The 98-year-old victim was physically unharmed by the abuse, but could be psychologically scarred. The anonymous tip came from someone who said they overheard the two employees taping the nursing home abuseand laughing.
The two are certified nursing assistants, who had been working at the Rosewood Care Facility for only six months. Both have now been fired.
“In our facility, resident safety is our utmost concern,” said Ivy Gleeson, the nursing home administrator.
“It’s just a sad situation all around,” police spokesperson Lisa Blackwell said.
The nursing home abuse charges are a class 3 felony in Illinois.
3 Actions to Take Against Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse and neglect cases can be difficult to establish because of an widespread tendency by insurance adjusters, physicians, among others, to discount an elderly person’s injuries and the diminished quality of life that results from these damages.
There are many ways in which nursing homes can be held responsible for injuring others as a result of their negligence, abuse,
An act of abuse, neglect or exploitation of roulete an older person might give rise to one or all of the following types of proceedings:
- an investigation and finding by an adult protective services agency or the regulatory agency for nursing homes (in South Carolina it is the Department of Environmental Control);
- a civil cause of action for damages; and/or
- a criminal prosecution.
These three types of proceedings have different objectives: the objective of a protective services investigation is to provide immediate help and relief to the victim and prevent further harm; the civil action is to seek compensation for damages; and the criminal prosecution is when the state seeks to punish the harmful conduct.
Under South Carolina law, physical abuse includes: slapping, hitting, kicking, biting, choking, pinching, burning, drugging a patient or confining a patient to control behavior. SEC. 43-35-10 A person does not have to inflict abuse to be held responsible for the physical abuse. One is culpable by allowing it to take place without doing anything to stop or prevent the abuse.
The Strom Law Defends Victims of Nursing Home Abuse
If your loved one has faced nursing home abuse, you do not have to suffer in silence. Contact the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm for a free, confidential consultation. We are here to help. 803.252.4800.
