By Eileen Buckley
Williamsville, NY – Eight employees from the Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home in Amherst were arrested for patient neglect.
The State Attorney General's used hidden cameras. The investigation revealed that staff routinely failed to properly transfer the resident in and out of bed, putting the resident at risk of injury. Staff was required to use a mechanical lift with the assistance of two caregivers.
"With the consent of family members, we put hidden cameras in nursing homes across the state, watching over the vulnerable who often cannot advocate for themselves," said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Video footage also revealed that one aide failed to provide range of motion therapy. Two nurses also failed to administer insulin, provide skin and wound treatment, and failed to check the resident's vital signs. I n addition, the resident's medical records show that employees falsified records to conceal the resident's neglect and endangerment.
Two Licensed Practical Nurses and one Certified Nurse Aide were charged with Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (class E felony) in complaints filed in Amherst Town Court. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 4 years in prison.
Five other Certified Nurse Aides were charged with Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person (class A misdemeanor), with a maximum penalty of one year in jail. The Certified Nurse Aide who falsified the resident's medical record failed to perform range of motion exercises on the resident's extremities, which were required to prevent muscle contracture.
Charged in the Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home case are:
Deborah Groth, LPN, 61, Buffalo
Terri Brown, LPN, 37, Buffalo
Leslie Thompson, CNA, 61, Buffalo
Tweneboa Saow, CNA, 52, Buffalo
Linda Banks, CNA, 54, Buffalo
Laquita Jones, CNA, 25, Buffalo
Willena Bell, CNA, 49, Buffalo
Diane Handley, CNA, 47, Buffalo