Home care aide located in Kittitas County suspended on rape charges

As of 2017, the federal government had cited more than 1,000 nursing homes for mishandling or failing to prevent alleged cases of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse at their facilities

OLYMPIA

The Washington State Department of Health has suspended the license of a Kittitas County home care aide pending further legal action.

Charges state that the aide was charged with one count of second-degree rape – particularly vulnerable victim and one count of indecent liberties – particularly vulnerable victim in Kittitas County Superior Court. The aide cannot practice in Washington until the charges are resolved.

A home care aide’s responsibilities encompass a wide range of duties, including assisting with daily living activities, providing emotional support, and ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for the individual they care for. The role involves both personal care tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as housekeeping duties and coordinating appointments. Aides may assist with medication management, monitor vital signs, and support physical therapy exercises.

“The Department of Health protects and promotes public health, safety, and welfare in Washington by regulating the competency and quality of health care providers. The agency establishes, monitors, and enforces qualifications for licensing, consistent standards of practice, continuing competency mechanisms, and discipline. Rules, policies, and procedures promote the delivery of quality health care to people in Washington,” said a statement from the DoH.

As of 2017, the federal government had cited more than 1,000 nursing homes for mishandling or failing to prevent alleged cases of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse at their facilities during this period. And nearly 100 of these facilities had been cited multiple times during the same period.

Complaints and allegations that didn’t result in a citation, which the government called a “deficiency”, weren’t included in Medicare reports. National studies found that a large percentage of rape victims typically never report their assaults. So the numbers likely represented only a fraction of the alleged sexual abuse incidents in nursing homes nationwide.

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