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Aide arrested after allegedly assaulting elderly woman
An 85-year-old woman with dementia was allegedly pushed to the ground by an employee at an assisted living facility in Lake Mary. FOX 35's Amanda McKenzie walks us through the disturbing charges and case.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - A Florida assisted living facility employee was arrested after she allegedly pushed an 85-year-old woman with dementia to the ground, causing her a head injury.
Investigators say the employee then walked away, leaving the woman laying on the ground.
What we know:
On Sunday, Sept. 21, an 85-year-old woman with dementia was allegedly pushed to the ground by an employee at the Spring Hills Lake Mary assisted living facility, causing a head injury.
According to a Lake Mary Police Department arrest report, the 85-year-old woman and the employee, 48-year-old Naqia Neal, were arguing when Neal began to point her fingers near the woman's face. That's when the woman allegedly grabbed onto Neal's fingers, and Neal raised her arms quickly before stepping towards the woman, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor.
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Neal was arrested and charged with battery on a person aged 65 or older. However, she has since bonded out of jail.
Naqia Neal
What's next:
Neal's next court date is scheduled for Nov. 18.
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What they're saying:
FOX 35 News spoke with the 85-year-old woman's daughter, Dona Pappalardo, who said it was 90 minutes after the incident when she first heard from the Lake Mary Fire Department about her mother. However, investigators said the fire department was only told that the 85-year-old woman had fallen. It wasn't until the next day that a representative from Spring Hills Lake Mary was told about what happened and called police.
Pappalardo said she's now having a hard time trusting the facility, because she didn't learn what happened until about 24 hours later.
In a statement to FOX 35 from Spring Hills Lake Mary, they said Neal has since been fired.
"The safety and dignity of our residents is our highest priority," the assisted living facility said in a statement. "During an interaction with a resident, an aide used excessive force, which is never tolerated in our community. The aide was immediately suspended and subsequently terminated. Authorities were notified, and we are cooperating fully with their review."
Dona Pappalardo, left, and her 85-year-old woman, right. (Credit: Dona Pappalardo)
The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from a Lake Mary Police Department arrest report and by FOX 35's Chancelor Winn in an interview with Dona Pappalardo, the daughter of the 85-year-old woman who was allegedly pushed.