Assisted Living Facility Resident Attacked and Killed by Another Resident

It is a shocking headline - one elderly person attacks and kills another elderly person in a health care facility. How can this happen? Is it an isolated event? Recent news stories, and my own experience in my law practice, show that this is NOT an isolated event. It happened recently in Howard County, Maryland. A resident of an Assisted Living Facility, 87 year old Earl Wilder, who suffered from Alzheimer's and was a former boxer, attacked 91 year old James Brown, punching him in the face. Mr. Brown died several days later from his injuries. In my law practice, I represent a former nursing home resident who was viciously attacked by another patient. Fortunately, my client survived. Experts predict that these incidents will only continue to grow as baby boomers age. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities must take steps to protect their residents from these attacks. This will mean more staff and better staff training to recognize subtle signs of aggression and intervene before it is too late.