A Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer provides updates on a recent incident that left a nursing home resident dead after a vicious attack by another resident. On July 6^th, two residents at the Senath South Health Care Center nursing home in Senath, Missouri became involved in an altercation. One of the residents, Shedrick White, is now charged with the murder of resident Marvin Hale. Sadly, nursing home abuse and violence between residents is not uncommon, according to a Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer familiar with the situation.

According to a meeting held on July 14^th, leaders of the facility explained that the incident should never had occurred, and that the facility is taking accountability for the incident. According to facility leadership, a staff member, who is now current suspended, allowed the Shedrick White to reenter the room and failed to notify the nurse of the resident’s intention to re-enter the room. The next day, Martin Hale was found strangled with a phone cord.

Community members voiced concern at the meeting that the nursing home’s structure and staffing are insufficient to care for residents with behavioral and mental health issues.  In fact, this is not the first time that a nursing home abuse incident has occurred at the facility. The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services cited Senath South Health Care Center with a resident abuse violation in February 2022 when a staff member struck a mentally ill resident in the face.

Sadly, nursing homes can be dangerous places for residents that need care. Residents in nursing homes can be subject to many types of abuse, such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation. A Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer shares that staff members are frequent perpetrators of abuse, but resident-to-resident abuse is also common. Nursing facilities who provide services to residents with behavioral or mental health disorders may have a heightened risk of resident-to resident abuse.

Resident to Resident abuse or mistreatment is classified as negative, often aggressive interactions between residents in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. These incidents may include roommate conflicts, verbal threats and harassment, unwanted sexual advances and use of resident personal property without permission. Some residents may have diagnoses of conditions, such as dementia or mental illnesses that may impact their behavior. Despite these diagnoses that may impact a resident’s ability to understand or control their behavior, the facility has the responsibility to protect all residents from abuse.

A Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer advocates that all residents have a legal right to be protected from abuse and mistreatment. It’s important that if your loved one reports mistreatment or abuse from another resident, that this abuse is reported and investigated. A nursing home abuse attorney from our firm can help residents who have suffered physical, emotional, or financial harm from mistreatment from other residents.