The family of a 91-year-old woman with dementia have filed a lawsuit against a suburban Chicago nursing home after a Snapchat video of two caregivers taunting the elderly woman came out.
In December 2018, Margaret Collins’ family found out about a video showing an aide shoving a hospital gown toward as she repeatedly resisted.
The video was posted on Snapchat with the caption, “Margaret hates gowns.” The lawsuit claims the staff members were aware that she was scared of hospital gowns.
Collins’ family informed staff at The Abington of Glenview Nursing & Rehab Center about the video and the two employees behind it, Bryan Cortez and Jamie Montesa. They were suspended as officials investigated the incident. However, the allegations were “concluded to be unsubstantiated” and the two staff members returned to work after six days.
Collins was moved from the facility, but she was afraid of the same thing happening again. Her family had to hire a private caregiver to be with her because her health declined.
Collins’ family also contacted the police about the video. Cortez and Montesa confessed to being involved in the video and were charged with disorderly conduct.
The aides said that they had an inside joke about Collins’ fear of hospital gowns and knew it was wrong to tape her refusing to touch it.
The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home facility didn’t file a report with the state until the aides admitted to what they did and were charged by the police.
“They didn’t do what they’re required to do; they didn’t call the police. They didn’t call the state ombudsman. They didn’t call IDPH, and they denied to the family these people had traumatized Mrs. Collins even though there was a video proving that they did,” Steven Levin, one of the attorneys representing the Collins family, said.
The family asks for more than $1 million in damages.
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