Benny Gomez/Facebook/ABC7State officials and police in New Jersey are investigating how an 86-year-old woman ended up with severe injuries to her face.
It comes after a horrified son shared distressing photos of his beaten and bloody elderly mum, claiming she was assaulted in her nursing home.
Benny Gomez has accused staff at Westfield Centre Nursing Facility in Livingston, New Jersey, of causing two facial fractures, a broken nose and multiple bruises to his mum.
ABC7He says his mum had previously complained of them abusing her in the past.
Gomez told ABC7:
She tells me that the aides were rough with her and that they hit her.
She has double fractures in her face. Her nose is broken. She has stitches.
You go to the hospital and to see your mother in this condition is just unexplainable.
Benny Gomez/FacebookThe heartbroken son shared the awful images of his mum’s injuries on social media, and they’ve since been shared more than 9,000 times.
Gomez, who says he’s shocked and distraught over the alleged attack on his mum, says she means ‘everything’ to him.
Fortunately, he has since removed his parent, who has a mild form of dementia, from the care of the home.
She was sent to the Westfield Centre when she fell and broke her hip, making her immobile.
However, the care home insists Ms Gomez suffered her injuries after an accidental fall.
ABC7In a statement, staff at the home wrote:
While the photos are difficult to see, no resident was struck, hit or abused.
As per ABC7, Gomez’ attorney, Marilyn Barbosa, said:
No matter what the cause, no resident of a nursing facility should ever be made to suffer.
Police and the New Jersey Department of Health are investigating the alleged abuse, however no files have been charged at the time of writing.
If you’re concerned an elderly loved one of someone you know may be suffering at the hands of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation, you can call Elder Abuse 080 8808 8141 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.