Assisted living employee fired for verbal abuse

December 8th, 2008 by Jennifer Walker-Journey

Caring and Sharing Home for Adults is home to up to 46 people in need of assistance from others. Like the nearly 50 other assisted living facilities in Newport News, Va., it is inspected by the state’s licensing division at least once a year. In 2008, the facility was inspected nine times – more than half of those were in response to complaints. The complaints were often anonymous and varied between to children living there to spoiled food. But a new complaint about alleged verbal by one employee resulted in action by the facility, according to the Daily Press.

The employee is accused of calling residents names such as “crack head,” cursing at them, borrowing money from then and even selling food to them from her nearby apartment. She berated residents for sitting down for meals at the wrong time and was described by residents as “rude and loud.”

An investigation by state inspectors led to the firing of the allegedly abusive employee.

Unlike most assisted living residents, many of the residents of Caring and Sharing Home for Adults require state grants to cover living costs above and beyond what their social security covers. Not only are several residents considered poor, many suffer from mental disabilities, making them easy targets for .

The state would not give an overall assessment on the status of the home and a representative from the facility refused to comment.

Steve Lambert with the social services division of licensing programs said the downsizing of the state’s mental health facilities has left more mentally ill people with fewer choices in treatment homes. “These residents are finding themselves in these facilities,” Lambert was quoted in the story, “and unfortunately they (the facilities) are probably less equipped to handle the range of disabilities, and they don’t have sufficient financial resources to meet these needs.”

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  • deepakp9
    Verbal abuse is often more difficult to see since there are rarely any visible scars unless physical abuse has taken place. But it is often less visible simply because the abuse may always take place in private. The victim of verbal abuse lives in a gradually more confusing realm. In public, the victim is with one person. While in private, the abuser may become a completely different person.
  • sandraboletchek
    From the information I have gathered it appears we need stronger mental health guidelines in assisted living facitlies that are not mental facilities just regular assisted living facilities. We only have State Regulations. No Federal Guidelines at all. I am researching now to see if we need Federal Guidelines or what avenue to go to be an active advocate of assisted living facilities and mental health guidelines. I have been a resident of an assisted living faciliities for 8 years and very much know we need strong guidelines to govern the mentally ill who mental and abuse, verbally other residents too often. Some throw things and hit. Sandra Boletchek
  • Thank you so much for your comment! We appreciate your sharing your
    thoughts about the creation of mental health guidelines for patients in
    nursing home care. This certainly is a situation that is extremely
    important, not only for those who currently are living in a nursing or
    rehabilitation facility, but for all of us who may one day need these
    services. Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this
    conversation!

    Sincerely,
    Wendi Lewis
    Beasley Allen
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