Many couples in New Mexico have spent decades living together as partners. In some cases, unfortunately, one person’s ongoing health issues may become too overwhelming for his or her spouse to manage alone. As such, families often make the difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home facility, where they expect that he or she will be given the necessary care and treated with respect.
In fact, a man in another state was recently arrested after he allegedly abused a 69-year-old resident at the nursing home where he worked as an orderly. The victim’s husband states that he had only recently placed the woman there when the attack occurred because he was unable to take care of her due to her Alzheimer’s. He claims that her wedding ring was stolen from her finger as well.
He further states that the nursing home initially told him that her injuries were from a fall. However, police saw that surveillance footage shows the attack by the man who has since been arrested. He is now facing charges of elder abuse and armed robbery; the ring has not been recovered.
Unfortunately, nursing home residents are vulnerable because many are unable to report abuse that they experience or may not be believed if they do, making it even more necessary for residents’ families to have faith in the employees of the nursing home facility. Victims often suffer physical and mental injuries that require treatment or alternative arrangements. To ensure that nursing home abuse is appropriately investigated and changes made to prevent similar treatment in the future, many people in New Mexico opt to file a personal injury lawsuit if such treatment is believed to have taken place with the help of an attorney with experience with such cases.
