Last year, nursing home workers were caught on tape taunting and physically abusing a 96-year-old woman with dementia. The abuse was filmed by a hidden camera her daughters had placed in the room because they suspected someone of stealing from their mother. The women never imagined that their mother was being subjected to horrible abuse by the nursing home staff. When they played the hidden tape, they were shocked and horrified.

The tape of nursing home abuse is painful to watch as workers gag, shove, tap and taunt the woman as she sits in her wheelchair.  This incident happened in Oklahoma, but it could just as easily happened here in St. Louis. Incidents of nursing home abuse have been reported across the country and families are fighting back to protect their loved ones. Many families are using hidden cameras and nanny cams to document abuse and neglect at nursing homes.

In the Oklahoma case, the video was used to help convict one of the female aides responsible. The woman pleaded guilty to abuse and neglect by a caretaker and was sentenced to two years in jail. The other caretaker, a Nigerian citizen, is on the run.

Every year between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 and older are abused. Like the Oklahoma woman, they are unable to remember what was done to them. The expert nursing home abuse attorneys at Hoffman & Gelfman give victims and their families a voice and are dedicated to protecting the rights of nursing home residents.