JONESBORO, Ark. – It’s hard to imagine an 83-year-old woman having a broken leg but the thought becomes severely troubling when someone is suspected of causing the injury, intentionally.
However, that was the case in a report made to Jonesboro Police Department Monday night at St. Bernard’s Medical Center in Jonesboro. At about 10:30 p.m., police were dispatched to the ER and made contact with a registered nurse, Callie Wagner, along with two emergency medical technicians (EMTs), Steven Metcalf and Taylor Pillow. Both the EMTs said less than an hour earlier, they had been dispatched to Lexington Place Nursing Home, 2911 Browns Lane in Jonesboro, to transport an 83-year-old patient/victim.
The woman, whose name we shall not include out of respect for her privacy and already traumatic experiences, is reportedly unable to sit up or walk. However, she was complaining of leg pain. After being transported to St. Bernard’s, staff x-rayed her right leg and found it to have a “spiral fracture.”
According to the RN, a spiral fracture is extremely severe and the elderly, immobile woman would have been unable to cause it by herself.
“Wagner further stated she suspects a Lexington Place employee possibly caused the injury, however, did not report it,” Officer Zachary McQuay reported.
The injured woman was unable to speak to police at the time she was admitted.
Police are investigating the case. The abuse could carry a felony charge of abuse/neglect, along with possible civil penalties, if a court were to find abuse did take place.
Unthinkable. If true, facility and employee must be held accountable.
I have worked in a nursing home for several years as a nurse. I have also had a broken leg, which someone else didn’t cause. These residents try to get up and walk when they cannot. They cannot all be watched 100% of the time. It all depends on the situation. If the resident was able to get out of bed on her own at all then I’d say there are still a lot of questions to be asked but it’s possible she could have just fell.
Its possible but if you know a residents is bound to get out of bed without notice and is unstable why not have an alarm pinned to her to alarm the nurse or the CNA. The way I look at it the fall could have been prevented I have 3 years of experience and they train you on these things in class
someone had to help her up IF she had fallen on her on. And they would have had to report it if that had happened.