Elder abuse allegations should require police investigation, advocacy group says

Jim Drew, in a follow up to Sunday's investigative piece about state-run veterans homes, offers this story:

AUSTIN – Advocates for nursing home residents called Monday for tougher oversight of abuse cases, saying state inspectors and local law officers need to better coordinate joint investigations.


They said police should get more training and be brought in when state regulators receive any allegations of abuse or neglect – a dual inquiry aimed at protecting evidence that might be used in a criminal prosecution.

"If something happened to you in your residence, you wouldn't call a state regulatory agency; you need a police officer and an emergency medical technician who's trained in investigating elder abuse," said Gay Nell Harper of the Texas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents, a nonprofit volunteer organization.

Elder abuse investigations linger in incidents at state veterans home

Jim Drew in our Austin bureau:

BIG SPRING, Texas – The Veterans Land Board promotes its seven state-owned veterans homes with a glossy brochure titled "Where Honor Lives."


But there was nothing honorable about what allegedly happened to World War II Navy veteran John Harris in the final months of his life in 2007 at the Lamun-Lusk-Sanchez State Veterans Home in Big Spring.

A certified nurse aide said she saw a co-worker grab the 97-year-old from his wheelchair and slam him into his bed. Harris, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was taken to the hospital that night when he complained of hip pain, according to a state inspection report.

Army mechanic from WWII feared attendant, family says

Workers with felony arrest records kept jobs at Texas state schools

AP reports: HOUSTON – Employees at state-run centers who were arrested for felonies such as child rape and murder continued on the payroll to care for the mentally disabled, according to criminal fingerprint checks.