October 10, 2008

Patient Injured by Home Health Care Aide

An elderly, quadriplegic man, in Garden City South was injured when his home health care aide assaulted him. The aide is accused of mistreating the patient, who uses a wheelchair and requires round-the-clock care, while employed as an aide by Ameriplan, a health care agency. The aide became irate while taking care of the victim, verbally harassing him, and then striking him with a fist upon his face causing severe swelling, pain and bruising. Afterwards, the aide locked the 68-year-old man in a room, removed the telephone, and left the residence for two hours without providing the victim with food, water, medication or care. The aide was criminally charged with endangering the welfare of an elderly person, unlawful imprisonment and assault. Not only could the aide be held civilly liable for the injuries sustained by the victim, so could Ameriplan if they knew, or should have known, that the aide was prone to violence. http://www.foleygriffin.com/