It is an elderly person’s worst nightmare: living with reduced health and strength in a nursing home or assisted living facility and being mistreated and robbed by the very people charged with providing care. For elderly residents and for their children, this is a significant fear.
Unfortunately, it is not always an unfounded fear. Occasionally, cases come along that represents a truly tragic abuse of power in Florida’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
An elder abuse/robbing at Whispering Pines
According to a Northescambia.com report from August 3, 2021, two suspects were arrested and charged with mugging and abandoning an elderly resident and Whispering Pines assisted living facility in Ensley, Florida.
Tavetta Lavetta Jones and Tekera Levine are charged with abuse and exploitation of a senior and related charges. Apparently, they were supposed to transfer one of the facility’s residents. Instead, they robbed her, took her identification and debit card, and left her stranded on the side of Antioch Cemetery Road in Walton County on a very hot day with no water or protection.
The criminal activity involved the manager of Whispering Pines
One of the most upsetting aspects of this case is that one of the accused, Tekera Levine, was the manager of Whispering Pines. This type of abuse and exploitation of elderly residents of long-term care facilities is always troubling, but when one of the perpetrators is the manager of the facility, the situation is even more frightening.
How can you protect yourself and your loved ones?
If you or a loved one has been abused or harmed in anything like the above scenario, you need to contact an elder care lawyer as soon as possible to obtain compensation and justice for what has been done. A good attorney can help you recover for the damages you or your parent has suffered.
However, the best way to protect against this kind of abuse is to avoid facilities, like Whispering Pines in Ensley. Working with an attorney experienced in assisted living facilities in Florida can be a great resource for finding a safe, caring facility, where robberies and abuse do not happen.
