Elder Abuse: Woman Accused of Abusing Her Mother (

Woman accused of abusing her mother
By Jody Lawrence-Turner
November 29, 2008

SPOKANE - A 59-year-old woman accused of depriving her mother of food and water, leaving the older woman soaking in feces and urine, and stealing thousands of dollars from her estate said the allegations are untrue.

The daughter, Nancy Husak, said she owned - and deserved - the new clothes, hundreds of new pairs of shoes and gold-plated silverware detectives found in her mother's home.

Husak was booked into Spokane County Jail last weekend on one count of second-degree criminal mistreatment and 10 counts of first-degree theft, according to jail records. Her mother, Edna MacDonald, was moved to a nursing home. Husak posted bail and was released Wednesday.

In a tearful interview Tuesday at the jail, Husak said the accusations of police, health care providers and social workers are untrue.

"I have bought a few things, but believe me - I deserved them," Husak said. If her mother was in the condition medical professionals claim, "no one told me," she said.

Spokane police Detective Kirk Kimberly has been investigating the case since May. While he has investigated similar cases in the past, an approximately $380,000 renewable grant awarded to Spokane this fall has allowed him to focus exclusively on crimes against the elderly and adults who are physically unable to care for themselves. The money also will help educate prosecutors, judges, law enforcement and the community about such abuse.

Kimberly also considers the Husak case to be more severe than the average case, he said.

When Husak's mother, Edna MacDonald, arrived at Sacred Heart Medical Center, she was covered in feces. A straw and napkin were found embedded in the woman's back, and it appeared she'd been lying in one position for a long time, according to arrest papers. Medical professionals determined she had a urinary tract infection, malnutrition, dehydration and multiple pressure sores.

Police say they found bank records showing Husak had taken out a reverse mortgage on the house and cashed several of her mother's pension checks. When the suspect was asked about the money, she told police it's "mine, all mine."

Husak, who doesn't work other than taking care of her mother, said some of the items were gifts from her parents.

Abridged
SOURCE: The Olympian - WA,USA
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