[ad_1]
A nurse at All Saints Home in Jurong East assaulted an elderly resident in her care and later told another staff member who witnessed the attack to lie about the incident.
Yesterday, Flores Alvin Jay Vargas, 36, was jailed for 16 weeks after he pleaded guilty to one count of willfully causing harm.
He was a registered nurse in the nursing home during the incident on May 25 last year.
At approximately 6 p.m. that day, the 67-year-old resident asked for a knife to cut an apple.
The resident is in a wheelchair following an accident in 2017 that caused brain trauma.
When another staff member told him he couldn’t give her a knife, the man started throwing a tantrum, repeatedly pressing the doorbell behind his bed.
Later, Vargas approached the elderly resident, trying to explain why they couldn’t give him a knife.
BELL
But the man kept pressing the bell. She then pressed the portable staff assistance bell after the doorbell behind her bed went off.
Vargas tried to remove the bell from the man, but as he did so, the man tugged at his shirt causing it to rip.
The defendant became angry and hit the resident in the chest several times and also kicked him. Two other staff members saw this and told him to stop.
Only two days later, the victim told her brother about the assault when the brother visited him. The brother made a police report that day.
The victim was transferred to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital at the request of his brother and protected for a week, with a medical report indicating that he was suspected of having broken ribs.
After the incident, Vargas sent a message to one of his colleagues who witnessed the assault to lie that he did not hit the resident.
Later, the colleague gave a false statement to the police claiming that she did not see the incident. It is not known whether any action has been taken against the colleague for lying.
The court was informed that Vargas was fired the day the victim returned to the nursing home.
All Saints Home issued a statement yesterday saying it takes the safety and health of its residents seriously. He suspended Vargas upon receiving the complaint and fired him after an internal investigation.
He added that he has taken new measures to protect residents, such as installing more security cameras and training staff.
For causing serious harm, Vargas could have been jailed for up to three years, or a fine of up to $ 5,000, or both.
[ad_2]
