New Nursing Home Employee Records Administrator Abusing Resident

 Reporter Tracey Read, from the News-Herald, reports that a former administrator from Hubbard Road Meadow has been sentenced for her role in the abuse that led to an 85 year old resident’s death. According to the article, Alice Ramsey has been convicted of elder abuse. The article reports that:

Alice Ramsey, 55, of Madison Township, was arrested last year after shoving too many eggs and medication into the mouth of 85-year-old Mary Srpan on Jan. 3, 2017, at Hubbard Road Meadow. The victim died about two weeks after the incident under hospice care.

“The defendant was cruel to Mary,”Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Patrick Condon said. “She would grab her by the face and hair. She would refer to Mary as an (expletive). This defendant treated Mary with no dignity.”

The article further reports that if it was not for a new employee at Hubbard Road Meadow, Ramsey would not have been charged with such heinous abuse.

If it weren’t for 28-year-old Anais Silva, a new employee of the center who secretly worked behind the scenes gathering evidence against Ramsey, she likely would still be free.

Condon said Silva, who had only worked at the center for weeks, immediately realized Ramsey was mistreating Srpan. After Silva told her mother, her mother encouraged her to get proof to show the police.

Silva used her cellphone to record pictures of Srpan’s neck covered in bruises, and she also recorded audio of Ramsey verbally abusing and mocking the 4-foot-7, 86-pound woman with dementia who walked with a cane.

After the egg incident, the article reports that Ramsey failed to call 911 when Silva was having respiratory difficulties.

The News Harold reported on the trial and its outcomes. The article states that Ramsey told the Judge Lucci that she never intended to harm Silva, citing that she was not being careful enough.

The article reports:

The victim’s granddaughter, Kristin Srpan, described her grandmother as a great cook who loved gardening and spending time with family.The granddaughter requested Ramsey be sentenced to the maximum 4 1/2 years in prison rather than the three years recommended by the prosecutor.

Ramsey previously pleaded guilty to one count each of reckless homicide and patient abuse.

“The offender seemed to be motivated by some type of age problem, accusing the victim of exaggerating or acting,” Lucci said when handing down his sentence. “… The court finds it’s very cruel to treat an individual with such weakness in such a manner.”

Lucci received 47 letters in support of Ramsey’s character.

“However, sometimes good people do bad things,” the judge said.

After learning her fate, Ramsey’s attorney asked that his client be allowed to remain free another month to get her affairs in order. Lucci refused the request.

It is sad enough that this poor victim suffered as she did, but this administrator who is in charge of her care was brutal, cruel, and according to the article was the cause of this poor woman’s death.

Other Reports from Hubbard Road Meadow

According to the article, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services found the following:

There were at least four known deaths at the facility in which the department was not notified, including an incident involving a different female whose head was found wedged in a nightstand after she was heard in her room banging. Visitors helped free the woman, who later died at an emergency room.

ODMHAS officials said the facility had previous incidents of neglect, failure to report deaths and falls, and violations of hiring regulations.

Three of the four rooms furnished with bathtubs did not have the required nonskid surfaces in the tubs, according to an ODMHAS investigation.

In addition, required background checks were not completed on all employees, and there was no documentation verifying compliance with staff training requirements.

The ODMHAS investigation also found that residents were not given keys to their rooms, which had deadbolts that can be opened from the inside. This presented a danger of a resident with dementia accidentally locking themselves in their room — or being locked in the room by staff against their will.

The article states that Hubbard Road Meadow lost its license in March 2017.

What to do if you suspect abuse?

If you suspect that your loved one’s death or serious injury was caused by nursing home abuse, by all means contact your local authorities as this is a heinous crime. Furthermore, you may need to contact a knowledgeable nursing home abuse attorney. It has been my experience that ALL nursing home abuse cases could have been prevented, and it is important to hold the nursing home accountable for poor hiring, inadequate training, or not reporting incidents.

If you would like to discuss your loved one’s potential case, please comment below or contact me using my confidential form here. This is a horrific situation to find your loved one, and yourself, in and I am here to help you hold the nursing home accountable.

You can read the full article mentioned above here.