Now ex-employee of Esplanade of Woodmere charged in punching of cognitively impaired 71-year-old patient
A now ex-employee of a Woodmere assisted living facility for those with dementia and other cognitive impairments has been arrested on charges of punching, shaking and assaulting a 71-year-old patient, according to the authorities, who said the crimes were caught on hidden camera.
The assault happened at the facility, called Esplanade of Woodmere, according to Nicole Turso, a spokeswoman for Nassau County's district attorney. Charges against the employee, Lisa Napier, 41, of Laurelton, Queens, include assault, endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person and endangering a vulnerable elderly/incompetent person, the county police wrote in a news release.
In an email Wednesday, Esplanade of Woodmere executive director Hindel Jesselson said the employee was fired Tuesday after the facility was told of the abuse allegation.
“We responded immediately by dismissing the staff member; and alerting local law enforcement and the Department of Social Services to ensure a thorough and swift investigation,” Jesselson said.
Napier couldn’t be reached for comment. The social services department, through County Executive Bruce Blakeman's spokesman Chris Boyle, didn't respond.
At an arraignment Wednesday, Napier was freed without bail, according to online court records. Napier was represented by the Legal Aid Society, which does not comment to the press. The case is back in court May 17, the records show.
Esplanade of Woodmere — whose website promises “empathetic and dignified care to Nassau County adults impacted by dementia” — had a ribbon cutting in January 2022 and its building had been a nursing home.
The abuse case came to light when the man was found May 3 to have bruises on his body, the release said. When questioned, the home told his guardian that the man had repeatedly fallen out of bed.
“The legal guardian placed a camera in the victim’s room. While watching the camera, a woman was observed striking the victim multiple times with a closed fist in his face and lower body. The subject shook him multiple times. The legal guardian responded to the facility and observed bruising on the victim’s face that was not present when she last saw him,” the release said. The police were summoned and an investigation begun.
A charging document said Napier struck the victim “with a closed fist” and was “continuously holding him down shaking him repeatedly on the bed,” an attack “believed to have caused the victim substantial pain to his head.”
A 2019 meta-analysis of studies about elder abuse in institutional settings found that evidence suggests that 64.2% of staff admitted to elder abuse in the previous year. Estimates were highest for psychological abuse (33.4%), followed by physical (14.1%), financial (13.8%), neglect (11.6%) and sexual abuse (1.9%).
A now ex-employee of a Woodmere assisted living facility for those with dementia and other cognitive impairments has been arrested on charges of punching, shaking and assaulting a 71-year-old patient, according to the authorities, who said the crimes were caught on hidden camera.
The assault happened at the facility, called Esplanade of Woodmere, according to Nicole Turso, a spokeswoman for Nassau County's district attorney. Charges against the employee, Lisa Napier, 41, of Laurelton, Queens, include assault, endangering the welfare of an incompetent/physically disabled person and endangering a vulnerable elderly/incompetent person, the county police wrote in a news release.
In an email Wednesday, Esplanade of Woodmere executive director Hindel Jesselson said the employee was fired Tuesday after the facility was told of the abuse allegation.
“We responded immediately by dismissing the staff member; and alerting local law enforcement and the Department of Social Services to ensure a thorough and swift investigation,” Jesselson said.
Napier couldn’t be reached for comment. The social services department, through County Executive Bruce Blakeman's spokesman Chris Boyle, didn't respond.
At an arraignment Wednesday, Napier was freed without bail, according to online court records. Napier was represented by the Legal Aid Society, which does not comment to the press. The case is back in court May 17, the records show.
Esplanade of Woodmere — whose website promises “empathetic and dignified care to Nassau County adults impacted by dementia” — had a ribbon cutting in January 2022 and its building had been a nursing home.
The abuse case came to light when the man was found May 3 to have bruises on his body, the release said. When questioned, the home told his guardian that the man had repeatedly fallen out of bed.
“The legal guardian placed a camera in the victim’s room. While watching the camera, a woman was observed striking the victim multiple times with a closed fist in his face and lower body. The subject shook him multiple times. The legal guardian responded to the facility and observed bruising on the victim’s face that was not present when she last saw him,” the release said. The police were summoned and an investigation begun.
A charging document said Napier struck the victim “with a closed fist” and was “continuously holding him down shaking him repeatedly on the bed,” an attack “believed to have caused the victim substantial pain to his head.”
A 2019 meta-analysis of studies about elder abuse in institutional settings found that evidence suggests that 64.2% of staff admitted to elder abuse in the previous year. Estimates were highest for psychological abuse (33.4%), followed by physical (14.1%), financial (13.8%), neglect (11.6%) and sexual abuse (1.9%).
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
