Resident abused by CNA
John Ette, a certified nurse assistant is charged with abusing an 88-year-old bed-ridden resident at Adirondack Medical Center's Mercy Nursing Home. He is accused of hitting, grabbing and punching the visually and dementia-impaired woman last October, leaving her with a broken collarbone and facial bruising. Officials say John Ette hit and pushed an 88-year-old bedridden woman while working at the Adirondack Medical Center and Mercy Nursing Home in Tupper Lake. The woman had multiple bruises and a fractured clavicle in October 2008.
Shortly after midnight on Oct. 20, 2008, Ette struck the bedridden patient in the face, grabbed her arm and pushed her down into her wheelchair, according to the court complaint filed against him. The patient suffered a broken collarbone and some facial bruising. Her condition is now stable, and she still lives at the nursing home, said David Doyle, spokesman for the state Office of the Attorney General.
Ette admitted the act to state investigators on Nov. 12, 2008. Nursing Home staff noticed the woman's severe injuries the next morning and notified administrators and her family. Ette was fired following an internal investigation last October. Ette was charged Wednesday by the Attorney General's Office with second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and willful violation of health laws.
"Nursing-home care must be administered with the respect and professionalism that New York's seniors deserve," Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. "It is appalling when our dependent and vulnerable loved ones are victimized by the very people who are entrusted with their care."
AMC goes through an extensive screening and background check process before it makes a hire.
Ette's estranged wife, Jodi Ette, told the Enterprise John Ette had displayed violent tendencies in the past. She said he had never been violent toward her but had lashed out at inanimate objects. She said that when the incident happened, it took John Ette several days to divulge the details of the alleged abuse. "He wouldn't tell me the full story for quite some time," she said.
"We want to reassure families that we are taking the proper steps to protect the safety and well-being of our residents, patients and staff," AMC's Chief Financial Officer Patrick Facteau said.
He had worked at Mercy since Feb. 21, 2006.
