An 87-year-old woman is in guarded condition after allegedly being beaten and dragged by her caregiver at the Casa Dorada elder-care home in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, July 11. Police found the woman on the floor with abrasions on various parts of her body and head trauma; she was taken to a hospital for treatment. The caregiver, who was detained, claimed to police that what he did was part of a "ritual" meant to give the woman pills so she could "rest in peace," and told Telenoticias he was only following instructions from a coworker who handed him the shift.
He remains detained and was transferred to a hospital while the incident is investigated, and he faces possible criminal charges. The Department of the Family (Departamento de la Familia) announced it immediately canceled Casa Dorada's operating license following this new mistreatment case. The home had already been under administrative investigation for alleged negligence, and most residents had already been relocated.
Only two private-pay residents remained at the time of the incident; the Department said it would notify their families that both must be transferred immediately.