In a case that has shocked officials, a nursing home staff member was caught by other nursing home staff members while nude in bed with an elderly, mentally-challenged female patient. Ryan Otey, aged twenty-seven and former employee at the Crescent Place Assisted Living Center in Cedar Hill, now stands accused of aggravated sexual assault for the alleged incident. The seventy-six-year-old victim, in this case, is uncertain as to whether she desires to remain at the facility, while nursing home officials are conducting a thorough investigation so as to determine if other staff members or residents were aware of this or any other ongoing elder sex abuse perpetrated by Mr. Otey.
Police officials in Cedar Hill, Texas have stated that Mr. Otey was found without pants, nearly nude in the resident’s bed in presumably a sexual situation when spotted by a fellow co-worker, who immediately notified the police and Crescent Place Assisted Living Center administration. Mr. Otey is currently awaiting trial in lieu of a $100,000 bond in this case.
According to investigators, the nursing home where the alleged incidents of aggravated sexual assault on an elderly person occurred has run afoul with Texas state officials previously with violations a recent as 2014 resulting in violations notices that revealed the following troubling pattern of nursing home management including:
- Crescent Place Assisted Living Center failed to meet industry standard medication error quotas of less than 5%
- Crescent Place Assisted Living Center failed to offer residents care and treatment that recognized the dignity and respect of their elderly clients
- Crescent Place Assisted Living Center failed to also offer residents options in terms of recreational, educational, or health care programs offered at the facility
The unfortunate reality in this elder sex abuse case is that the vast majority of these and similar type nursing home abuse cases remain unreported, with the National Center on Elder Abuse noting that staff-training with regards to recognizing signs and patterns abuse as the primary cause of the ongoing national problem. While not uncommonly perpetrated by nursing home staff members, the additional disturbing reality is that the overwhelming bulk of elder abuse cases emanate not from nursing home staff members, but rather, from crimes perpetrated by immediate family members, relatives, and those individuals close to the elderly person.
In these and other similar type nursing home abuse cases, it is critical that concerned parties immediately consult with legal counsel, which can assist with informing the appropriate investigative agency to determine the merit of claims, while also pursuing legal claims against responsible parties.
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