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A state investigation discovered that an employee at the Caring and Sharing Home for Adults assisted living facility at 6008 Jefferson Avenue had been verbally abusing residents. The employee was fired following the investigation that she abused residents by cursing at them, calling some of them “crack head,” borrowing money from them and selling food to them from her neighboring apartment.
Numerous residents at this assisted living facility are poor, have mental disabilities and depend on state money to live in the facility.
Caring and Sharing Home for Adults has had several violations since 2004, according to Virginia state records. These violations make this facility one of the 20 percent of Virginia’s 583 assisted living facilities that had major compliance issues or verified complaints, according to a 2007 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which is an investigative branch of the General Assembly.
At least once a year, two inspectors from the local state licensing division inspect Newport News’ approximately 50 assisted living facilities and adult homes. Some facilities have inspections at least three times a year.
Caring and Sharing Home for Adults has had its share of inspections. The facility has been inspected nine different times this year and five of those inspections were initiated because of complaints. These inspections are higher than any other year since 2003. Among the inspections in 2008 was one that took three days in July.
Complaints against Caring and Sharing Home were mainly anonymous and included such allegations as neglect to children living in the facility, spoiled food and verbal abuse. It had been hard for inspectors to verify the complaints, until the verbal abuse incident by the employee.
After interviewing four residents, the state inspector discovered that the employee cursed at residents, told one resident, “You can eat second shift. Get away from the table, it’s not your turn to eat,” and called a resident “crack head,” according to state records. Residents also said that she was loud and rude and often borrowed money from them.
Scarlette Peeples, the administrator of the facility, would not comment on the violations.
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