Nursing aide to be charged with injury: kxan.com Frustration is likely to blame for an episode of elder abuse at a Texas nursing home where a CNA attacked an Alzheimer’s patient she was trying to get dressed. Staff members at Wesleyan Nursing Home notified nursing home administrators when they saw the CNA grab the patient and put him in a ‘head lock’ after he was slow to follow instructions.

Though the patient did not sustain injuries that are permanent in nature, the CNA was fired from her position and will face criminal charges of: injury to the elderly and disabled reckless bodily injury.

Caring For Patients With Alzheimer’s

Ok, let’s face it. When it comes to being a caregiver for a person– old or young– it can be difficult, sometimes thankless work. When it comes to caring for a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s it really takes a special— and incredibly patient– person. Unlike other patients who may be re-directed to the task at hand, caregivers for patients with Alzheimer’s may simply have to wait until the person is ready to do what ever the task may be.

Too often, a poorly trained or unsuitable caregiver may snap in frustration and take out their anger on the patient for who they are responsible for caring. Recognizing that combativeness is part of the disease, is important for all caregivers to acknowledge.

When selecting a nursing home for a patient with Alzheimer’s, families should ask the facility the following questions:

How many Alzheimer’s patients do you have?
Have staff received any specialized Alzheimer’s training?
Are staffing levels increased for Alzheimer’s patients?
Do you have a plan for when patients become combative?

For laws related to Texas nursing homes, look here.

Herb Noyes says:

July 4, 2011 at 1:27 am

My wife had dementia..The 1st home she was in, an Aide told her that she would never go home. That she hsd alzheimers and was brought there to die. Obviasly not a trained employee.
She was in a small care home thats patients were all suffering from dementia. No staff member had received any training for that disease. They had no idea why patients would show anxiey. The staff seemed to have a routine down pat, and any event that broke the rountine was met by irritation and usually ignored In addition, the home was covered by a P.A. who, when called, mearly had the nurse read him the chart and then make order changes. To me, this placed these nurses and CNA’s in the position of making patient diagnoses. This caused my wife to pass from kidney failure not being recognized.
I currently am in an assisted living. In the six months that I have been here, some of my either been missed or given at the wrong time. I am fortunate in having a caring family that does look after me.
We have had experience with 4 different care homes,,and unless the patient has careing family as I do…they get pretty shabby care