Two
male nurses in San Diego are being investigated after security camera
footage shows them fondling a 98-year-old stroke victim and each other
in her bedroom.
The
footage, taken between March 3 and March 11, 2011, shows Russel
Torralba and Alfredo Ruiz apparently masturbating and groping each other
at the foot of their patient’s bed, XETV reported. A 98-year-old woman
lies unable to speak or move her hands because of a stroke.
In
one video, one of the men appears to be undoing his scrubs and exposing
himself. Another shows the same man kissing the woman.
William Berman, attorney for the woman’s family. said he was shocked by the videos.
“I
myself couldn’t believe it,” Berman told XETV-TV, adding that it was
the most shocking case of elder abuse he’s seen in 15 years of practice
in that specialty.
Torralba
and Ruiz have had their nursing licenses suspended pending a hearing
next week and the San Diego District Attorney’s office is considering
criminal charges. The California Department of Consumer Affairs has been
conducting an investigation into their employer, AMS Home Care
Solutions, since last year.
“It
appears to show very egregious behavior,” Department spokesman Russ
Heimerich told the San Diego Union-Tribune.“I don’t know if we’ve ever
had a case that has a video like this. We are working to shut them
down.”
AMS Home Care Solutions didn’t respond to The Huffington Post’s request for comment.
The
current suspension on Ruiz and Torralba bars the men from working for
home health agencies, but allows them to work in hospital settings. A
hearing on the permanent suspension of their licenses is scheduled for
Nov. 14.
The
victim’s family has sued the two men and their employer for alleged
fraud, elder abuse and negligent supervision and that trial is set for
Jan. 14.
“It’s
not about the money,” Berman told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “it’s
about dignity and accountability, to ensure this doesn’t happen to
anyone else.”
Source: Huffington Post
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