About a month ago, we wrote about the nursing home abuse that occurred at the Prentiss Center for Skilled Nursing Care, a MetroHealth nursing home in Cleveland. Steve Piskor captured the abuse of his 78-year-old mother, Esther, on a hidden camera. In the videos, nurse’s aides Virgen Caraballo and Giselle Nelson are seen striking the patient’s face, violently throwing her into her bed and wheelchair, pushing her face into the wall, and repeatedly spraying her face with an unknown liquid that was later identified as perfume. Both women were fired and legal action was taken.
Facility Says Keeping Abused Resident is “Financial Burden”
According to a recent investigation, five nurses’ aides have physically abused or intimidated Esther Piskor. The state has cited the home for not taking action that “ensured the protection of residents” from abuse and for not properly training nurse’s aides. MetroHealth has fired several nurses’ aides, hired an outside agency to give Piskor security 24-hours a day and conducted mandatory training on sensitivity and patient care for all employees. According to Steve Piskor these actions “are far too late. I say it’s not a training problem. It’s an administration problem. It’s something that should have been watched more closely.”
The facility now wants to transfer her to another nursing home. MetroHealth spokeswoman Susan Christopher said it was “in order to ensure her safety and welfare.” But Steve Piskor is afraid that the move is because he refused to remove the hidden camera from his mother’s room and that moving his mother would not be good for her. “My mother is the victim,” Steve Piskor said. “She’s not the problem. Metro wants to make it out like she’s the problem.” MetroHealth is saying that the camera is a violation of their policies and that caring for Piskor is becoming “too much of a financial burden.”
More people are coming forward about the abuse of Piskor. Jacklyn Lauren was visiting her father at the facility when she witnessed the nursing home abuse of Piskor. She saw a nurse’s aide pushing food into Piskor’s mouth and when the aide came up to Lauren she said she wished Piskor “would die.” Lauren said “She was trying to talk to me like we were friends and she said … ‘God, I hate that woman. I wish that woman would die.‘ She used profanity with the situation.” Lauren reported what she saw to the head nurse but was ignored.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If your loved one is currently a resident of a nursing home or care facility, we encourage you to visit frequently and be very observant of any scratches, bruises or anything that does not look right. If you are worried that the care they are receiving is negligent, abusive, or inadequate, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.