Four former St. Elizabeth Healthcare caregivers charged with abusing Alzheimer’s patient
Four former caregivers at St. Elizabeth Edgewood campus have been indicted on charges that they abused an Alzheimer’s patient in 2015, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear announced Monday.
The criminal indictment said three employees improperly restrained a patient, which included placing a therapy bag on the patient to act as a weight to restrict his movement. Another caregiver observed the abuse and neglect but failed to stop the actions, Beshear said.
The four people charged are Ellyssa Klein, 26, of Fort Myers, Florida; Sandra Nobbe, 28, of Florence; Ashley Flower, 30, of Cincinnati; and Gary Ray, 71, of Cincinnati. Each has each been charged with one count of knowingly abusing or neglecting an adult.
The charges follow an investigation into the incident after a lawsuit filed by family members of Vincent Sorg said workers for St. Elizabeth Healthcare and its psychiatric care partner Sun Behavioral Health strapped down Sorg overnight using a table and heavy water weights on his legs.
Sorg died of causes unrelated to the incident, the lawsuit said. While the suit doesn’t claim that the hospital’s actions directly caused Sorg’s death, it does state that his overall health deteriorated.
“When the matter first came to light in the summer of 2015, St. Elizabeth immediately removed the four individuals from patient care functions, pending the outcome of the investigation. Since that time, all four of the individuals have left the employ of St. Elizabeth,” a St. Elizabeth spokesman said in a statement.
Beshear’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse, the Edgewood Police Department; and the Department for Community Based Services, Adult Protective Services, investigated this case. The Medicaid Fraud and Abuse office is prosecuting the case.
“St. Elizabeth demands the highest standards from its patient caregivers, and fully respects the rights and dignity of its patients,” the statement from hospital officials said.
This article is provided via the Kentucky Press News Service.