According to a Boston news source, two former employees of a Massachusetts nursing home have been charged with assault and battery on an elderly person and filming someone in the state of nudity.
Framingham, MA police began investigating a report of abuse at Emeritus at Farm Pond on April 30. The investigation uncovered videos depicting “verbal and physical abuse” on the part of the two former employees.
One of those charged, Damaris Diaz, admitted to assaulting a 78-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease. The video showed the man hitting the resident on her arms, flicking her ears, and pinching the woman’s nose closed.
When asked why she assaulted the nursing home residents, Diaz replied that it “was funny,” according to investigators.
Diaz and her accomplice Samuel Ayekple both plead not guilty. They each posted $1,000 bail after their arrest.
The two charged have been fired from the nursing home, according to a statement released by the company. Emeritus also stated that they have launched an internal investigation and has notified the MA Department of Health as well as the state ombudsman regarding the assault.
Diaz and Ayekple are scheduled to reappear in court for a pretrial conference on June 18.
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
