A Westbury woman has been arrested for allegedly injuring a 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Melville nursing home resident and then trying to cover up the wound two years ago.
Claudia Desulme pleaded not guilty Wednesday at Suffolk County court to charges of falsifying business records, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and wilful violation of health laws.
“Our healthcare workers have a basic duty to care for their patients, to keep them safe and not to injure them further,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.
Prosecutors said the 32-year-old woman moved the resident—who suffered from dementia and who is dependent on others for care—from her wheelchair to her bed without the assistance of another staffer, as required by the resident’s care plan, at Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehabilitation on Dec. 18, 2012.
The victim suffered a seven-centimeter-long laceration to her right leg. Desulme and another aide, who was not charged, allegedly bandaged the wound and failed to report the injury, authorities said. When questioned by nursing home staff, Desulme allegedly lied multiple times in an attempt to conceal her crimes, claiming that another aide helped with the transfer and that the patient was not injured, according to investigators.
Judge Paul Hensley released her without bail. Desulme, who no longer works at the facility, faces up to four years in prison, if convicted.
