The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating an alleged case of sexual abuse of an elderly resident at a Jacksonville nursing home. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 35-year-old Anthony Mgugua Njorge early Sunday morning at Regents Park nursing home. He is charged with sexual battery on a mentally impaired and physically helpless victim.

The latest inspection report of Regents Park, conducted by the Florida Agency on Health Care Administration in August, gives the facility just one star out of five in most categories. According to the AHCA website, “The fewer stars a facility receives, the more the facility was found to be in noncompliance with the regulations governing nursing homes.” The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also publishes a Nursing Home Compare web site that provides additional information to compare nursing homes in Florida and the nation.

In this particular incident, a witness told police she heard something from one of the rooms, and when she went in she saw Njorge engaged in a sexual activity with a woman in the room. The woman is disabled.The witness told police she reached for her cell phone, but Njorge tried to stop her.She was able to make a call and someone else came into the room. That witness told police she saw Njorge cleaning up and then throw something in the disposal room.

DCF Spokesperson John Harrell says his agency has investigated eight allegations of abuse at Regents Park in the past year, though none have been verified.

“Of those eight reports, four showed no findings, but four had some findings, including inadequate supervision [of patients]. That happened a couple of times,” Harrell said.

Njorge also worked at Life Care Center, another Southside nursing home. DCF is now looking into whether the attack is an isolated incident.Police are withholding any further information due to the nature of the crime and the investigation. Njorge remains in jail on a $500,000 bond.

Florida Senior Living Advisor offers a complete searchable database of all senior living facilities in Florida, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, skilled nursing units, independent living, continuing care retirement communities and hospice. As part of your research on particular facilities, you can check their rating in the AHCA guide; of course, you should always visit and inspect a facility in person before making such an important decision.

This just makes me sick to my stomach. Yesterday police in Punta Gorda, in southwest Florida, arrested an employee of the Punta Gorda Elderly Care Center on charges of abuse and battery on a 76-year-old resident. Police say 58-year-old Letitia Calderwood was employed as a Certified Nursing  Assistant at the facility. According to police, an employee of the center reported Calderwood had requested the assistance of her and an additional employee in helping the resident who had fallen in a bathroom. Calderwood and the two other facility employees had difficulty helping the resident to her feet and reports say Calderwood subsequently kicked in her lower back while using a profanity. Once the resident was helped to her feet, Calderwood reportedly struck her in the face with an open hand.

Detectives say Calderwood admitted to kicking and striking the resident as originally reported. She reportedly stated that her actions were done out of frustration although she knew the patient was disabled and had limited ability to stand on her own. Calderwood was arrested and transported to the Charlotte County Jail.

Thank goodness the other employees of this facility immediately stepped forward to report this alleged abuse. If you are concerned that someone you know is being abused or neglected in a Florida senior living facility, you can report it to the Florida Department of Children and Families. On their website – http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/ – you will find detailed information about the Florida Abuse Program, and how to submit a claim via phone, fax or online.