Illinois Nursing Home Fined For Failing To Protect Residents From Sexual Abuse

Staff Writer, Aug 15, 2007

A nursing home is supposed to be a safe place for the elderly to live out the remaing years of their lives. It is supposed to be free from abuse and harassment. Unfortunately, elder abuse still affects nursing homes across the country. A recent example does not involve abuse imposed by the staff, but rather by a resident toward other residents. However, the staff's inability to handle the situation properly and responsibly led to the abuse of several elderly female residents.

The staff at a nursing home in Belvidere, Illinois was not able to protect several confused elderly women at the home from the sexual advances of a male suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. As a result, the Biltmore Rehabilitiation and Nursing Center was fined $25,000 by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The department stated that instances of the demented male resident groping, touching, and kissing, and other sexual advances were documented by the staff.

A report states that 15 instances of these sorts of behaviors were documented from April to December 2006. The man was a 94 year old resident with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, congestive heart failure among other problems. As a result of the incident and the nursing home's failure to protect its residents, Steve Klekamp, the facility's former director no longer works at the home.