Six employees at a Northern California elder care facility were arrested on suspicion of abusing nursing home residents. Prosecutors say the nursing home employees covered several elderly patients with cream to make them slippery as part of a prank on their co-workers, the Associated Press reports. The arrests were announced by California Attorney General Jerry Brown this week. Brown rightly calls the alleged abuse "despicable behavior."

Employees Fired Following Abuse

The patients involved in the incident at the Valley View Skilled Nursing Facility in Ukiah suffered from dementia. They were not even able to comprehend what was being done to them, officials say. All six employees involved have been fired and face one misdemeanor charge each of injury to elder or dependent adult, battery committed on an elder, conspiracy and battery committed while on hospital property.

My heart goes out to these elderly victims who have been subjected to this abuse, as well as their families. These were helpless, vulnerable seniors who were unable to care for themselves! If the employees are found guilty of the charges, I sincerely hope they will face stiff punishment. These victims and their families will be in my prayers.

Holding Wrongdoers Accountable

The actions of these nursing home employees are appalling. But it also makes you wonder how they get hired into a facility that calls itself a skilled care facility. What were these employees' qualifications? How much experience did they have before coming to work there? Did the nursing home run any background checks? Who was their supervisor? Did the supervisors in the facility have any knowledge of this "prank?"

Is this the first time such an incident has occurred at this particular nursing home? Something tells me this may not have been the first time these employees or their co-workers may have been involved in such shenanigans. I hope the investigation by the Attorney General's office takes an in-depth look at all these issues. If the nursing home has allowed such abuse to happen on a consistent basis, the nursing home should be held accountable for the treatment of its residents as well. Not being aware of what their employees do is not an excuse for nursing administrators. The fact that they allowed this horrible abuse to take place is, in itself, a violation of their customers' trust.

The families of these victims would be well-advised to contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer, who will go after the wrongdoers as well the nursing home administrators who allowed the abuse to take place.

Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? What are some of your biggest concerns about how they are treated at the facility?

None of the parties mentioned in this article are represented by us at the time this article was posted. The source of our information is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm for a consultation. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. The BISNAR | CHASE personal injury law firm will provide free, confidential consultation to "not at fault" persons and their family members if you mention your source was the “Personal Injury Law Journal." They can be reached at 866-456-5235 during California business hours.