Resident Dies After Attack in Nursing Home

Dan Frith

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Talk about a disturbing report. Weslaco, Texas police say 84-year-old Raul Saldivar was in bed Friday night when a 48-year-old fellow resident entered the room and begin hitting him with some medical equipment. Investigators say the younger man apparently was in the wrong wing of the nursing home and ended up in Saldivar's room. The alleged attacker apparently thought he was in his own room, and Saldivar was in the wrong place.

Saldivar, who suffered a skull fracture, died Monday at Valley Baptist Medical Center.

The District Attorney is investigating whether criminal charges should be filed against the attacker.

My Take: The attacker should be charged criminally, assuming he has the mental capacity to actually "commit" a crime. My bigger concern is that the nursing home has the responsibility to provide a safe place for its residents. Further, if a resident poses a threat to himself or others, the resident must immediately be removed from the facility. I bet the attacker has a history of violence and the nursing home's administration looked the other way.