Eleanor Flowers, 76, a patient sitter, has been sentenced following a gross act of negligence involving an elderly patient.
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According to a press release by the District of Columbia United States Attorney's office, Flowers was sentenced in Superior Court on Tuesday, December 10th, 2024. Charges include one count of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult and attempted threats.
As part of her sentencing, the court has banned Flowers from working, volunteering, or participating in any activity involving the elderly, vulnerable, cognitively disabled, or children. This ban includes hospital activities, assisted living, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, urgent care, and daycare.
Superior Court Judge Deborah J. Israel has also sentenced Flowers to 24 months probation.
Another Patient Sitter Caught Everything On A Camera Phone
Flowers previously worked as a Patient Sitter at United Medical Center Hospital in Washington. According to evidence presented at the trial, the incident occurred on January 4th, 2021, as she changed the soiled clothing of a 68-year-old patient.
Flowers repeatedly struck the patient with a remote controller, which operated the bed. Authorities also class him as a 'Vulnerable Adult' thanks to his condition.
The most horrifying part about the incident is that one side of her patient's body was paralyzed. The patient was unable to speak, and he had recently suffered from a stroke. He couldn't defend himself, and evidence provided to the courts notes that the incident caused "visible distress to the victim."
Thankfully, another patient sitter who was also in the room managed to capture the incident on their camera phone. They promptly handed over the evidence to hospital authorities, resulting in Flowers's termination from her position.
During the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas commended the efforts of those who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Shockingly, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), studies show that for every incident of reported abuse, almost 24 additional cases remain undetected.
While cases like this are rare, hospitals can be scary places, especially when factors like overcrowding prevent help from reaching people who need it.
