November 30, 2004
A Kentucky grand jury has indicted a Louisville nursing home assistant on charges of abusing a 63-year old resident at Marian Home, a nursing home on the campus of Ursuline College.
State Attorney General Greg Stumbo says Helen Wittenauer, a CMT, was employed at the nursing home, providing care and treatment for residents when the abuse occurred. Her employment has since been terminated.
Working closely with the Marian Home's staff, the investigation by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Division disclosed that on May 28, 2004, Wittenauer, a caretaker at the facility, allegedly abused a resident by slapping her.
"Physical abuse of nursing home residents must end. I will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes as part of my commitment to Kentucky's senior citizens," said Stumbo. Wittenauer was arrested November 24th and was arraigned in Jefferson Circuit Court. If convicted, Wittenauer faces up to ten years in prison.
