Oklahoma Working Toward Changing Nursing Home Abuse Reporting Practices
On July 11, 2008, Carol Crow was found with two black eyes and covered with bruises on her face, neck, and shoulders. The facility workers told Mrs. Crow's family that she had gone into her room and fell, but Mrs. Crow told her family an entirely different story. Mrs. Crow alleges that a man knocked her down, got on top of her, and beat her until she was unconscious. While Mrs. Crow does have early onset Alzheimer's disease, she was very clear about what happened to her.
Jack Crow, Carol's husband, is working with a group known as A Perfect Cause to change nursing home abuse reporting procedures. He is supported in his efforts by both the Oklahoma attorney general and the Oklahoma County district attorney's office.
Current Oklahoma statutes call for someone who suspects abuse or neglect is occurring at a state facility to report it to the Department of Human Services or the Sheriff's Department. Both the district attorney and the attorney general's office believe that the police should be called first. "When you have a crime scene, there is evidence," said Scott Rowland of the Oklahoma County district attorney's office.
To read more on this, go to Supporters Want Suspected Cases Reported to Police First.
