Columbia Man Faces 7 Counts of Nursing Home Neglect

Elder abuse is on the rise as people cause physical, emotional, sexual, and financial harm to seniors for various reasons. Unfortunately, many people take advantage of people over the age of 65 due to certain physical and mental limitations that they may have.

A South Carolina man is facing multiple neglect charges for poor treatment of nursing home residents. The 69-year-old man was arrested and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on February 16.  He is innocent until proven guilty.

An investigation by state authorities — including the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Community Care — exposed the man’s actions. He faces seven counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult.

The investigation showed that between September 28, 2022, and December 9, 2022, the man, who worked as a caregiver and administrator at Community Care Home in Columbia, neglected seven vulnerable adult residents. The elderly patients were not provided the care, goods, or services necessary to maintain their health and safety. The neglect allegedly caused, or posed a substantial risk of, physical or mental harm to the residents.

The nursing home is a licensed community residential care facility. This case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina attorney general.

Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult 

Neglect of a vulnerable adult is a serious crime in South Carolina. It is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Under South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 43 – Social Services, Chapter 35, neglect is defined as the failure of a caregiver to provide the care, goods, or services necessary to maintain the health or safety of a vulnerable adult. This includes providing the vulnerable adult with food, clothing, medicine, shelter, supervision, and medical services. It becomes neglect when the vulnerable adult is unable to provide for their own health or safety and this leads to serious physical or psychological harm or even death.

A vulnerable adult refers to a person over the age of 18 who has a physical or mental condition that substantially impairs them from  providing for their own care or protection. This includes a person who has brain damage or physical, mental, or emotional dysfunction. A resident of a nursing facility is considered to be a vulnerable adult, as is someone of advanced age.

Contact Us Today

Nursing homes are supposed to provide high-quality care to residents, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Staff members are not always trained well enough to properly care for patients, leading to abuse or neglect.

Contact a Columbia nursing home neglect lawyer from Simmons Law Firm if your loved one suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home. We will investigate your case and seek to to hold the nursing home and staff liable for their actions so your family can obtain  justice and recover appropriate compensation. To schedule a free consultation today, call (803) 779-4600 or fill out the online form.

Source:

scag.gov/about-the-office/news/attorney-general-alan-wilson-announces-arrest-of-columbia-man-for-neglect-of-vulnerable-adults/