Windsor House Nursing Home in hot water. The Alabama Department of Public Health is investigating the facility following allegations of sexual abuse against one of the residents.
An 83-page report documents eight deficiencies investigators found during an inspection in September. The state said the nursing home failed to identify and handle the sexual abuse of a female resident who is in her 80s with dementia by another resident in the home.
The male resident is believed to be in his 40s.
The report reveals the day before the incident, nurses documented that a mentally retarded, schizophrenic male was being admitted and that he would need to be watched.
On September 18th, the report stated that a Certified Nurses Assistant spotted the newly-admitted male resident in the room of the female resident and said "both of them were in the nude and he was on top of her."
Rick Harris, with the Alabama Department of Public Health, said steps following that startling discovery were mishandled.
"There are residents in nursing homes who for various reasons because of their different impairments can become sexually aggressive, and nursing homes are expected to notice that and to deal with it appropriately," he said.
The report says an employee told a supervisor about the incident, but the supervisor said not to report it, because the female did not appear to be hurt. The report went on to say, "she has never had anything like this happen and really didn't know what she should do."
But in the report, the worker told her supervisor "that the proper protocol was to send the victim to the hospital for a rape kit examination."
Harris said the victim has dementia and refused to go to the hospital.
"The resident herself is not in a position to appreciate the importance of going to the hospital and getting a rape kit done," Harris told WHNT NEWS 19.
Harris said employees of Windsor House failed the patient even further by not reporting this to authorities and to the state immediately.
"If they had recognized it as an abusive situation, presumably, everything would've come out very differently when they responded to it," he said.
The state has given Windsor House until Wednesday, November 11th to correct the violations or face serious consequences, including the possibility of nursing home losing its license.
WHNT NEWS 19 contacted Windsor House to get their side of the story. While they declined an on-camera interview, they did release the following statement:
"The Alabama Department of Public Health (the "Department") recently conducted a survey at Windsor House. As a result of the survey, the Department has identified issues that they wish for Windsor House to address.
While Windsor House does not necessarily agree with the findings of the Department, Windsor House has taken corrective actions to address these issues and will continue to work with the Department to address the Department's concerns in a manner that reflects Windsor House's continued commitment to the well being of each and every resident."
An 83-page report documents eight deficiencies investigators found during an inspection in September. The state said the nursing home failed to identify and handle the sexual abuse of a female resident who is in her 80s with dementia by another resident in the home.
The male resident is believed to be in his 40s.
The report reveals the day before the incident, nurses documented that a mentally retarded, schizophrenic male was being admitted and that he would need to be watched.
On September 18th, the report stated that a Certified Nurses Assistant spotted the newly-admitted male resident in the room of the female resident and said "both of them were in the nude and he was on top of her."
Rick Harris, with the Alabama Department of Public Health, said steps following that startling discovery were mishandled.
"There are residents in nursing homes who for various reasons because of their different impairments can become sexually aggressive, and nursing homes are expected to notice that and to deal with it appropriately," he said.
The report says an employee told a supervisor about the incident, but the supervisor said not to report it, because the female did not appear to be hurt. The report went on to say, "she has never had anything like this happen and really didn't know what she should do."
But in the report, the worker told her supervisor "that the proper protocol was to send the victim to the hospital for a rape kit examination."
Harris said the victim has dementia and refused to go to the hospital.
"The resident herself is not in a position to appreciate the importance of going to the hospital and getting a rape kit done," Harris told WHNT NEWS 19.
Harris said employees of Windsor House failed the patient even further by not reporting this to authorities and to the state immediately.
"If they had recognized it as an abusive situation, presumably, everything would've come out very differently when they responded to it," he said.
The state has given Windsor House until Wednesday, November 11th to correct the violations or face serious consequences, including the possibility of nursing home losing its license.
WHNT NEWS 19 contacted Windsor House to get their side of the story. While they declined an on-camera interview, they did release the following statement:
"The Alabama Department of Public Health (the "Department") recently conducted a survey at Windsor House. As a result of the survey, the Department has identified issues that they wish for Windsor House to address.
While Windsor House does not necessarily agree with the findings of the Department, Windsor House has taken corrective actions to address these issues and will continue to work with the Department to address the Department's concerns in a manner that reflects Windsor House's continued commitment to the well being of each and every resident."
