AURORA | Two nursing home employees face criminal charges after being accused of negligence that led to the severe injury of a 92-year-old woman in their care.
Centennial Orchard Park Health Care Center nursing assistant Patience Jackson, 33, and licensed practical nurse Zainab Namale, 34, both face charges of criminal negligence and crimes against an at-risk person in the incident from last month.
Medical personnel at Sky Ridge Medical Center called Arapahoe County Sheriff investigators May 9 and said that the elderly woman, who suffers severe dementia, was brought to their emergency room after suffering two separate broken bones in her lower leg, according to reports by Arapahoe County sheriff officials.
“Hospital employees told Investigator (Eric) Van Cleave that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with the injuries stated in the report by Orchard Park Health Care Center,” sheriff spokesperson Ginger Delgado said in a statement. “That report noted that the victim was found sitting in her wheelchair, screaming for help in terrible pain, that no one had seen her fall, and they did not know what happened.”
Van Cleave reported that four weeks of investigation into the injury turned up evidence that Jackson and Namale being “untruthful” about how the woman suffered two broken bones.
Van Cleave said nursing home employees first reported that the injured woman was found screaming from pain in her wheelchair next to her bed. Subsequently, nursing home officials said that the two accused employees were helping the woman to her bed from her chair and she “planted” her feet, possibly causing the injury, according to an arrest affidavit. Hospital officials told investigators the nature of the bone breaks did not happen from that type of incident.
Nursing home staff then told investigators that it appeared the woman somehow got her leg caught in the electric bed and with a remote control in her hand, lowered it onto her leg, breaking her leg bones.
Van Cleave reported that the explanation was still unsatisfactory to hospital officials.
The report did not make a determination on what caused the woman’s injuries, only that staff stories were inconsistent and were coordinated.
“The investigator also believes both suspects were complicit in their actions to hide the truth of what happened to the victim,” Delgado said. “Van Cleave believes the victim’s injuries occurred on May 8 and were caused by criminal negligence, which is a crime against an at-risk person.”
Sheriff officials did not detail how the woman was injured nor how the two employees were responsible.
Jackson was arrested at her home and was released from the Arapahoe County jail in lieu of $2,500 bond. An arrest warrant has been issued for Namale.