LIVONIA, Mich. – Local 4 obtained video of the alleged abuse of a man inside a Livonia nursing home.
The clip, which you can watch above, allegedly shows a woman beating and cursing at an elderly man inside the Autumnwood of Livonia.
Salim Younes claims his father, Husein Younes, was abused by staff members inside the Autumnwood of Livonia Nursing Home.
"What happened to me and my dad and my family is unbearable,” Salim Younes said.
Younes said his father started complaining to him in the summer of 2015. That’s when he took matters into his own hands.
"We agreed on to put a hidden camera in a clock, an alarm clock next to his bed, to see what was going on,” Younes said.
Younes said what he saw made him sick to his stomach. The family’s attorney provided Local 4 with the footage, which shows a woman who appears to be a nurse grab Younes' father and slap him in the head, then the woman tossed him in the bed.
Another clip showed an aide rolling him into a closet. His family is suing Autumnwood.
Attorney Jonathan Marko said he believes the actions are racially motivated.
"He’s an elderly Lebanese gentleman who was born and grew up in Lebanon," Marko said. "He’s an Arab-American, and because of that, he was targeted as this nursing home and horribly abused."
Here’s a statement from attorneys for Autumnwood of Livonia
"Autumnwood of Livonia takes any allegation of abuse and inappropriate care seriously, and exhaustively investigates such claims to ensure the safety of its residents. Autumnwood’s policy is not to comment on residents in their facility to protect their privacy, and to comply with privacy laws and regulations related to health information. However, now that a family of a former resident at Autumnwood of Livonia, the Younes family, who has filed a lawsuit against Autumnwood of Livonia, made the decision to publicly litigate their lawsuit in the press and make public allegations and information related to the care and condition of Mr. Younes, my client now has the right to make a public statement.
"In December 2015, the Younes family’s attorney raised concerns to staff of Autumnwood of Livonia about the treatment of Mr. Younes after he had been discharged from the facility. The Younes family’s attorney informed staff that they believed that Mr. Younes had been abused at the facility. Despite requests for additional information, no details were offered. My client immediately conducted an internal investigation, reported the allegations to the state survey agency that regulates nursing homes, and reported the allegations to the local police department consistent with state and federal regulations. My client and the notified governmental agencies, were unable to substantiate the allegations with the information we had at the time.
"Although the Younes family had in their possession in December 2015 a video that provided information related to the allegations of abuse, the existence of the video itself was not disclosed to my client until May of 2016, when the video was sent to my client along with a demand for payment of monetary damages. The actions depicted in the video are in no way illustrative of the quality care that is provided by the caring staff at Autumnwood on a daily basis. When Autumnwood received this new information and video, another internal investigation was immediately launched, and the new information provided by the Younes’ attorney, five months after the alleged incident, was turned over by Autumnwood to the state survey agency and law enforcement.
"The employees identified from the video have been terminated, and additional training has been provided to all employees. Autumnwood continues to assist the involved state regulatory and law enforcement agencies with their investigations of the former staff and is committed to continuing to provide quality care to all of the residents and families they have the privilege to serve.
"As the family has filed a civil complaint and the matter is in litigation, Autumnwood cannot comment any further."