Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Nurse's aide accused of abusing elderly woman

 By Don Lehman dlehman@poststar.com The Post-Star |


JOHNSBURG -- A certified nurse's aide was arrested Thursday on charges that accuse her of abusing a 98-year-old woman at Adirondack Tri-County Nursing home, officials said.
Brenda L. Hayes, 48, of Pottersville, was charged with misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent person and willful violation of health laws after an investigation by the state Attorney General's Office, police records show.
The victim was a resident of the home who suffered from dementia, according to court records.
Hayes was charged in connection with an incident that a registered nurse witnessed at the nursing home on July 27, according to court records.
According to an affidavit given by a nurse manager, identified as Lisa LaFountain, Hayes was heard yelling at the resident, and when LaFountain went to investigate the yelling, she witnessed Hayes grabbing the woman by the arms and pulling her as she sat on a toilet.
The victim suffered bruises to both arms, according to court records.
Hayes had alleged the woman spit on her, and she told LaFountain, "No one has the right to spit on us," according to court records.
Hayes was arrested by State Police and was released pending prosecution in Johnsburg Town Court.
Hal Payne, administrator of the home, said Hayes was suspended within an hour of the incident and was formally terminated on Aug. 4. The state Health Department was notified immediately, Payne said.
"This is not acceptable behavior and will not be tolerated," he said.
The victim continues to live at the home, he said.
Hayes has been a state-certified CNA since 2001. Despite the five-month investigation and arrest, Hayes continues to be registered with the state as a certified nurse's aide.
The state website registry lists her last employer as Adirondack Tri-County Nursing Home.
Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said a CNA can have his or her certification taken away for disciplinary violations.
"If she is convicted, it will be reflected in the registry," he said.
The state's CNA registry can be found at registry.prometric.com/registry/public.

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