California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the arraignment of Emily Jones for the neglect and abuse of a 69-year-old female resident at an assisted living facility in Riverside, California. Emily Jones, a registered nurse working for VITAS to provide hospice care, was assigned as the resident’s case manager and allegedly failed to record the discovery of open ulcers in the resident’s medical records. She also failed to notify a medical doctor and the resident’s family of the resident’s deteriorating condition. As a consequence of this lack of care, the resident’s condition worsened, ultimately resulting in the resident’s death. Jones was arraigned in Riverside County Superior Court on one count of felony elder abuse.
After receiving a complaint, the California Board of Registered Nursing (the Board) opened an administrative investigation into Jones’ actions. The Board’s investigation concluded that as the resident’s case manager, Jones failed to properly assess an ulcer that she discovered on the patient’s right heel. As a result, a Plan of Care was never developed and the ulcer worsened into a wound that required the resident to undergo emergency surgery to her right foot, which had become septic and gangrenous. Following the surgery, the resident suffered a continued decline in health and eventually passed away. The felony complaint, filed in the Riverside County Superior Court, charges Jones with one count of felony elder abuse and alleges that as a result of the abuse, the victim suffered great bodily harm.
