An investigation has been opened to clarify the “possible responsibility” of the largest public nursing home in Paris in the death of one of its residents, aged 76 and violently attacked.
Written on 05/06/2024
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What happened at the Parisian nursing home Alquier-Debrousse, where a resident died on January 12, 2024? An investigation, entrusted to the 20th arrondissement police station, was opened. It follows a complaint against X, filed on April 22 by the sons of the deceased.
This complaint targets the counts of involuntary manslaughter, endangering the lives of others and failure to assist a person in danger. Another investigation in “search for causes of death” is underway at the 2nd district of the Parisian judicial police.
A man “sitting on his head”
The victim is a woman suffering from schizophrenic disorders and “particularly vulnerable”according to the complaint revealed by The world. She was allegedly attacked by another patient on January 1, 2024. A cleaner found her covered in scratches and held down by a man “sitting on his head”.
After this attack, her condition deteriorated: she refused “to eat, take medication, get up and communicate verbally”. However, the nursing home does not have her consulted by “no doctor”, his sons are indignant. She was finally hospitalized on January 3. The doctors then discovered a “large subdural hematoma, with cerebral involvement”. She died on January 12.
“Incomplete responses” and “catastrophic care”
The complaint denounces a “catastrophic care” of the nursing home and its “lack of transparency”, accusing the establishment of not having mentioned the assault at the time of hospitalization. The victim’s sons also denounce “lacking answers” from the nursing home to their questions after the death. They notably discovered after her death that their mother had already been attacked by the same patient in December, without the nursing home reacting by taking “necessary precautions” to his safety.
“I really hope that justice will take the measure of this case” the family’s lawyer, Me Fabien Arakelian, reacted to AFP. “It is unthinkable to entrust your loved one to such an establishment and find them dead”.
Also read: Four nursing home residents die of probable food poisoning
The largest public nursing home in Paris
With around 300 residents, this nursing home is the largest of the 15 nursing homes managed by the City of Paris, out of the approximately 80 in the capital.
Requested by AFP, the Paris town hall indicated that it had sent a report to the public prosecutor under article 40 of the code of criminal procedure, and that it had “carried out an administrative investigation” with the Regional Health Agency (ARS), another supervisory authority.
Four major dysfunctions
The investigation pointed “four malfunctions”of which “a failure to protect residents and staff from situations of uncontained aggression and violence, an insufficiency in terms of psychiatric care and a failure to report serious adverse events”the established term.
The Social Action Center of the City of Paris (CASVP), manager of the nursing home, and the latter “are working to provide responses to the shortcomings noted” with “Action plan” involving in particular the medical-psychological center of the sector, also indicates the town hall.
The Health Mag – France 5
