Florida retirement home shut down months after attack on 86-year-old man

Elderly care is becoming a concern.

Credit: John Moore

Credit: John Moore

Elderly care is becoming a concern.

A newly discovered video of an 86-year-old resident at a Florida assisted living facility being beaten by a younger resident is raising questions about the safety of the elderly, CNN reported.

In the video, obtained by CNN last week, a 52-year-old resident is shown on a surveillance camera punching the older man more than 50 times in two minutes during an October incident, law enforcement officials said. Both men were residents at the the Good Samaritan Retirement Home in Williston.

The younger man claimed that the older resident, who is suffering from dementia, was eating his cupcake, according to law enforcement officials.

The Good Samaritan Retirement Home had a history of violations, CNN reported, and more sanctions than any other assisted living facility in Florida. Two administrators were arrested in December in connection with separate incidents on charges of neglect, CNN reported.

The alleged beating was originally reported by The Gainesville Sun. It occurred in a common area of a secured unit, and at the time of the incident there were no staff members present, law enforcement officials said. According to official reports, no one had been assigned to monitor the unit's video surveillance camera.

Staff members arrived after the beating had ended, CNN reported. The elderly resident was hospitalized with bruising and swelling to his face, along with hip pain, according to a police report.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on Saturday implemented an emergency suspension of Good Samaritan, the Sun reported. The AHCA had placed a moratorium on admissions earlier in the month after a resident fell, hit her head and died in November.