South Carolina Nursing Home Blog : South Carolina Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Poliakoff & Associates Law Firm : Elderly Care, Senior Care

The News & observer had an article about the tragic death of nursing home resident Rachel Holliday.  Angela Almore was arrested and accused of murdering Holliday after an investigation found that Almore gave Holliday morphine that was not prescribed or needed. The indictments allege that Almore intentionally caused each to "ingest morphine that proximately caused serious bodily injury."  Almore has been a registered nurse for four years, and was responsible for taking care of  84-year-old Alzheimer's patient holliday at Britthaven of Chapel Hill.

A medical examiner reported that Holliday died of pneumonia from asphyxiation, and that the levels of morphine in her system likely contributed to her death.  The report listed "morphine toxicity" as a contributing factor to her death, noting that tests done at UNC Hospitals before her death determined she had a morphine level of more than 50,000 nanograms per milliliter of urine.

Almore was also charged with six counts of felony patient abuse related to other Britthaven patients who were hospitalized after they became lethargic. Tests indicated they had been given morphine, even though none had been prescribed the powerful pain medication. All but Holliday survived.

Nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must follow specific regulations about how medications are bought, stored, ordered and distributed. If the nursing home's oversight was lacking, it must correct the problems and could face fines and be held liable for the death of holliday.

See other article about these incidents here and here.

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On March 22, 32 year-old Maximo Hong Fajardo Jr. allegedly smothered nursing home resident, 87-year-old Barbara McIver, in full view of other residents and staff using a pillow.  Fajardo worked as a certified nursing assistant since 1999; he had worked only 2 weeks at Convalescent Center Mission Street prior to the incident. 

Employees alerted police to the killing around 10 a.m., shortly after the suspect fled the home.   Bystanders then chased him down and held him for police.  He plead not guilty on March 24 and is being held on $10 million bail.

See article here.

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The Seattle Times had a small blurb about Joseph Njonge, a former nursing assistant at the Garden Terrace Alzheimer's Center of Excellence in Federal Way, who is on trial for the March 2008 slaying of a woman who was leaving the facility after visiting her husband.

Njonge was arrested three weeks after Jane Britt was found strangled to death in the parking lot. Britt often visited the property twice daily to see her 77-year-old husband, Frank, who lived there.  Britt was last seen leaving the building on the night of March 18. On March 19, her Mercedes-Benz was discovered in the nursing facility's parking lot, and her body was found in the trunk, according to documents.  Investigators linked Njonge to the slaying through DNA found underneath Britt's fingernails. Britt's pocket was found turned inside out and her husband's Costco card was found in Njonge's wallet, according to charging papers.

If convicted, Njonge faces more than 20 years in prison.

Can you believe that these are th type of people that the nursing home industry hires to protect and care for our parents and grandparents?

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Today we have a guest writer, Heather Johnson. who is a regular contributor to RNCentral.com, a great site for nurses and others interested in the nursing field.  We thank Heather for help insightful contribution.  Below is her entry.

Nursing Home Workers Face Neglect, Fraud Charges

Chicago Sun-Times reports that Nurse Marty Himebaugh and nursing director Penny Whitlock of a Woodstock, Illinois nursing home have been charged with criminal neglect of their patients and fraud. Police are currently investigating the deaths of six patients, which may be related to Himebaugh's reputation for playing "Angel of Death" to her patients. Allegedly, she gave patients overdoses of morphine when she worked at the nursing home and Whitlock failed to reprimand her.

Complaints had been filed against Himebaugh many times before she was eventually put on leave from her job in 2006. Some allege that Whitlock not only failed to discipline Himebaugh in a timely manner, she could have been encouraging the illegal actions. Authorities exhumed the bodies of three patients to determine if they had died as a result of an overdose, though results have not been made public.

In addition to criminal neglect, Whitlock has been charged with obstruction of justice after she allegedly ordered the destruction of drugs in the nursing home. Himebaugh also faces additional charges for fraudulently obtaining and illegally dispensing morphine. Police are not expected to file any more criminal charges against current or former employees of the nursing home.

According to attorney Steven Levin, who was hired by the family of an alleged victim, "It was flat out an attempt to kill people. I mean we don't kill old people in nursing homes in this country."



By-line:

Heather Johnson is a freelance writer as well as a regular contributor for RNCentral.com, a site which covers all things related to RN. Heather welcomes your comments and emails related to job inquiries at her email address, heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.

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