A Springfield home health aide who was licensed as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for a 2021 incident in which she abused an elderly patient. Rodette Robinson, 54, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to two counts of the charge of Abuse, Neglect, or Mistreatment of an Elder by a Caretaker. Following the plea, Judge David M. Hodge sentenced Robinson to two years in the house of correction, suspended for three years and probation. For the three-year period of probation, Judge Hodge imposed conditions, including that Robinson complete anger management and conflict resolution programs. Judge Hodge also prohibited Robinson from having any responsibility for elders and persons with disabilities during the period of probation, including any employment (paid or volunteer), and from working in any home healthcare setting, nursing home, rest home, or long-term care facility during her probation.
In November 2021, the family of a 91-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in Wilbraham reported to Robinson’s employer, a home health agency, that Robinson physically abused the patient in an incident captured on the family’s video surveillance system. Specifically, Robinson shook the patient from a recliner and aggressively dragged her into the bathroom causing noticeable bruising and injuries to the patient’s left arm and side. Shortly thereafter, the home health agency terminated Robinson’s employment and reported her to the Nurse Aide Registry and the Department of Public Health (DPH). A subsequent investigation by DPH resulted in a suspension of Robinson’s CNA license and a referral to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division. In September 2022, the AG’s Office secured indictments against Robinson before a Hampden County Grand Jury.
