Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

After health inspectors reportedly found documents proving the continued failure to track and treat bedsores and reposition residents at Summit Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) ordered immediate changes and compliance on August 26, 2009. Under the compliance order issued by Dr. David Gifford, RIDOH Director, the facility must hire an independent consultant, contract with a patient safety organization, make report results available, and contact all patients.

The facility has one week left to comply with the order.

The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.

The Charlesgate Nursing Center, located in Providence, Rhode Island, allegedly failed to investigate a resident's rape allegation and allowed the alleged perpetrator to work another shift before reporting the suspected abuse.

Around midnight on June 16, 2009, a fifty-six year old female resident suffering from Huntington's disease and other ailments, reported that a nursing assistant had raped her during the 3 to 11 p.m. shift that day. The nursing assistant that the woman told advised a charge nurse, but the charge nurse did not believe the accusation.

The following day, the accused nursing assistant, forty-six year old Josiah Olowoporoku returned to work to work an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. The resident again reported the sexual assault to a nursing assistant and the nursing assistant reported it again, only this time to a different charge nurse. The charge nurse reported it to the Director of Nursing Services around 7 a.m. on June 18, 2009. The nursing home facility notified the police. The resident was transported to the emergency room and doctors determined that she had been sexually assaulted.

The resident reportedly identified Olowoporoku as the man who assaulted her and he was arrested at the nursing home on June 18, 2009. He was charged with two counts of first degree assault and is being held without bail. The facility has terminated his employment and the Health Department has suspended is license.

On June 26, 2009, the Health Department declared an "immediate jeopardy" situation at the nursing home. "Immediate jeopardy" is a situation or circumstance that places residents in danger. Once the facility put plans in place to protect its residents more effectively, the "immediate jeopardy" was removed.

The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home sexual abuse. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.

Raymond Parent was admitted in 2003 to Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol, Rhode Island in 2003. At that time he was incapable of making medical and financial decisions for himself. His daughter was granted the legal responsibility of caring for her father.

Mr. Parent's family is alleging that he suffered unsanitary conditions and underwent medical procedures that his family was not told about and did not approve. He underwent three colonscopies without his family's knowledge. It is alleged that the facility sometimes changed his legal status without notifying his family. Mold was discovered multiple times in the water pitcher next to Mr. Parent's bed and uncapped razors were discovered in his bathroom. Mr. Parent was taking blood-thinning medications and could bleed profusely if cut.

As Mr. Parent was dying, facility staff threatened to call state police and have Mr. Parent's granddaughter, Barbara Crowley, removed from the premises because she took photographs of bruising on her grandfather's arms.

Currently, the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs is investigating the facility after it was uncovered that the facility was having problems. Problems were occurring between management and staff, there was poor communication between staff and families, and structural problems with the building.

We discussed the case of a Rhode Island nursing assistant accused of sexual assault in our previous blog. Matthew F. Doyle, 24, was charged with the sexual assault of a 69 year old Alzheimer's patient at the St. Elizabeth Home in Rhode Island on July 28, 2008. A grand jury has charged Doyle with two counts of first degree sexual assault and he has been ordered held without bail.

Sexual abuse in nursing homes across America is an appalling problem. Often, nursing home corporations, more interested in turning a profit than a thorough background check on employees, will overlook problems with current or prospective employees. This practice ultimately places the residents at risk of becoming victims of physical and/or sexual abuse.

Unfortunately, the problem of sexual abuse of nursing home residents is far more common than anyone would believe. Nursing home corporations should do everything they can to protect their residents from this type of predator. When incidents such as this occur, prosecutors should seek the harshest penalty available.

Matthew F. Doyle, a 24 year old former nursing assistant at St. Elizabeth Community in Providence, Rhode Island, faces sexual assault charges stemming from a July 28, 2008 incident. In the alleged incident, Doyle is accused of assaulting a 69 year old woman suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease. A grand jury handed up an indictment on Thursday, September 11, 2008 charging Doyle with two counts of first degree sexual assault. He is currently being held at Adult Correctional Institutions.