A 92-year-old nursing home resident was grabbed by the arms and lifted against her will, causing significant bruising, according to Syracuse.com. The Attorney General’s Office filed a complaint accusing Natalie M. Harris, a nurse manager at Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center, of physical abuse. Harris was arrested in July, according to Syracuse.com.
The report says that the patient yelled in fright during the incident, and that since, has become apprehensive of care providers, according to Syracuse.com.
Both of the charges against Harris, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and falsifying business records, are felonies. She was also charged with a misdemeanor in willful violation of the public health law, according to Syracuse.com.
Harris is accused of attempting to cover up the incident. She wrote in the medical report that bruises were the result of the skin condition “senile purpura,” Syracuse.com reports. Senile purpura occurs when the blood vessels became fragile in older people.
Harris said she has been a nurse for 14 years. She was in charge of a 34-bed unit at Loretto, where she said she worked for a year.
The Attorney General complaint showed that the bruises were diagnosed as such, not senile purpura, by a doctor and a physician assistant. “The false entries were made to hide or conceal the act of abuse which caused bruising to the victim’s upper arms,” the complaint says, according to Syracuse.com.
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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.
