Woman Charged With Abusing Nursing Home Patient
The victim had a fractured bone in his face and a broken finger, police said.
Fairfield Police
Tina Blake, 27, is accused of abusing an 84-year-old nursing home patient.
Police have charged a former nurse's aide with assaulting an 84-year-old nursing home patient.
Tina Blake, 27, turned herself in on Monday.
Police began an investigation into Blake in April, after family members complained about injuries sustained by the 84-year-old patient at the Ludlowe Health Center in Fairfield.
The man's son was initially told his father had bumped his head on a bed rail, but when the son saw the injuries to his father, he became suspicious. According to police, the 84-year-old had a swollen face and was bruised from his eyebrow to his neck. A doctor found a fractured bone in the victim's face and his finger was also broken.
Blake first told investigators the man bumped his head while being combative. In a subsequent interview, she admitted she was angry at the patient because he needed to be cleaned and she had reached the end of her shift, according to police. She told investigators the man's finger broke when she tried to pry his hands apart and that he received the facial injury when she rolled him over to clean him.
Blake was first suspended, and then fired from the nursing home.
She is charged with cruelty to persons, third-degree assault on a victim over 60 and first-degree reckless endangerment. She was released after posting a $15,000 bond and is scheduled to be in Bridgeport Superior Court Oct. 24.
Police said their investigation continues and there could be additional arrests.
