Hidden camera in nursing home, cries for help unanswered

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11alive.com | Hidden camera tells true story of how veteran died after calling for help, gasping for air

A man in a nursing home dies unaided by laughing nurses. His family had hidden a camera in the room. The nurses surrendered their licenses 3 years later.

Specializes in ER.
It's not relevant in terms of the treatment of patient in the hands of what were supposed to be competent caregivers, but I do notice that very few of the headlines are stating the obvious fact that the patient was white and the nurses were black. Had this been the other way around, the media would be highlighting that.

Do you think race might have been a factor?

Do you think race might have been a factor?

I actually do.

Specializes in ER.

Here's hoping the supervisor and the nurse that initially found him, goes to jail.

The staff involved LIED about what (in)action they had taken for this person who passed away. And after they LIED about their (in)action, they continued in their jobs for TWO YEARS. And kept their licenses for another year. Was this the first time these staff members lied about the care they gave, or didn't?

I can't watch something like that... I think it's heartbreaking and sickening.

I hope the family takes action and I hope the nurses involved are held accountable to the full extent of the law. What vile individuals they are.

Nurse Nuckles went into 'freaked look' once the video started to contradict her statements. I hope criminal charges are considered.

Wanda Nuckles (former LPN) official version of events can be read in the papers relating to the matter of her voluntary surrender of license.

111717 Wanda Nuckles Georgia Nursing Board

The staff involved LIED about what (in)action they had taken for this person who passed away. And after they LIED about their (in)action, they continued in their jobs for TWO YEARS. And kept their licenses for another year. Was this the first time these staff members lied about the care they gave, or didn't?

Response to your query can partially be found in linked OP:

"On average, it currently takes the nursing board 427 days to fully investigate a nursing complaint. Izlar says that's an improvement from about 2,000 days.

"There is a lot of the process that we absolute do not have control over. For example, if we refer to a different division, a different agency, we have no absolutely no control over the timeline," said Izlar. "

While things vary by state, it can indeed take a very long period of time ( read a few years ) before an investigation into professional misconduct of a LPN/LVN or RN is competed and action taken (if any). Meanwhile often nurses are permitted to continue to practice. One assumes in the most egregious situations there may be restrictions placed upon license, but there you are.

Even in cases where a nurse has a criminal record and or been convicted, some states still can take a *very* long time in suspending, revoking or whatever action they decide to take, or not.

State Audit Slams New York’s Oversight of Nurses — ProPublica

Whole thing happened back in 2014. Family took legal action which was settled out of court (and record is presumably sealed as that his how things usually roll), this along with as part of the terms in settlement the family cannot further comment.

Seeing as this whole sad and tragic event happened three years ago, unless some eager beaver of a district attorney and or state attorney general wants to make an example of the former staff, don't see anything more happening.

Response to your query can partially be found in linked OP:

While things vary by state, it can indeed take a very long period of time ( read a few years ) before an investigation into professional misconduct of a LPN/LVN or RN is competed and action taken (if any). Meanwhile often nurses are permitted to continue to practice. One assumes in the most egregious situations there may be restrictions placed upon license, but there you are.

Even in cases where a nurse has a criminal record and or been convicted, some states still can take a *very* long time in suspending, revoking or whatever action they decide to take, or not.

State Audit Slams New York's Oversight of Nurses - ProPublica

Thanks for that link to ProPublica! I like their investigative efforts, though I wasn't aware of their story on the New York BoN.

very sad, I have an elderly friend who lost her leg a year or so ago. She had a roomate who was constantly on the call bell, when my friend fell despite calling for help no one came to assist her for two and a half hours, the staff told her they thought it was the roomate calling. There are some fantastic facilities out there, and some that are horrific. I would never work snf again, saw too much, too many staff cuts, overwhelmed workers etc, and I was only per-diem.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Duplicate

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Absolutely pathetic... Losing her license was far too lenient a penalty.

I can't figure out why his being a veteran is germane to the story, though.

Because he probably went through hell to protect the freedoms that that piece of excrement now enjoys?

ETA: in a time when there was still no help fot PTSD, I might add... and a mere 30ish yrs after WWI, when vets with "shell shock" were put in straight jackets and even executed for desertion. YouTube it if you care to...but I recommend premedicating with Zofran. It's pretty nauseating.

EagainTA: so I just saw there is a documentary on YT called "Shell Shock in WWII." Time to see if treatment was any better! I'm more up on my WWI history than WWII, thanks to a history class in my college days.

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