Family members often spend months researching and choosing the right nursing home for their loved ones. They want to make certain that the facility will provide adequate security and care for each patient and that the facility will only hire trustworthy and reliable workers. Choosing the right nursing home in Florida may be a lengthy process, but when a family has finally made a decision, they trust that their loved one will be safe at the chosen facility.
Unfortunately, negligent security in a nursing home could make patients vulnerable to nursing home abuse or assault by other patients. In May, one nursing home employee discovered that a patient at the facility had been sexually assaulted by another patient. Although the suspect has been arrested and charged for the attack, the incident has raised many concerns.
Why weren’t the suspect or the victim of the sexual assault being monitored more closely? Should there be specific guidelines regarding who is allowed to enter a patient’s room? Are there other victims?
According to reports, the assault occurred on May 12 at Southern Oaks Nursing Home in Pensacola, Florida. Police reports state that a 55-year-old male patient had gone into another male patient’s room and began to assault him. The victim is a patient who suffers from severe brain damage and cannot speak. The suspect knowingly has HIV.
The assault was discovered when a certified registered nurse walked into the victim’s room. When she realized that the patient was trying to force sex on the other patient, she went to get help from another worker. The woman returned with another nurse and the two women forced the 55-year-old man to leave the room. Police interviewed the suspect after the incident, but the suspect claimed that the encounter with the other male patient was consensual.
The suspect has been arrested and is prohibited from returning to the Florida nursing home.
Source
Pensacola News Journal: “Police Beat: Sex assault at nursing home, charges in crash, suspect’s plea for leniency,” Thyrie Bland, 8 June 2011