Families connected to alleged abuse at Good Sam Society find each other
Staff
January 19, 2009
A year ago today, they had never met each other.
The 15 families of the alleged abuse victims at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea could never have imagined that their paths would cross at the center of a nationally known case alleging abuse at a nursing home.
But then in December, prosecutors filed charges against two alleged teenage perpetrators for multiple charges related to abuse. The charges alleged verbal, sexual and physical abuse of several residents.
Amid their pain that this could be a reality, a few of the families of the alleged victims started seeking out the other families to gain strength from each other.
“I said we need to get together,” said Myrna Sorensen, the daughter of Opal Sande, one of the alleged victims. “We need to support each other. This is really a traumatic thing.”
Though they have not been able to get a full list of all of the families who could have potentially been victims of abuse, several families have come forward little by little to share their stories.
The families met for their first time in an official support group setting this past week.
The group, which they are calling Families Against Nursing Home Abuse, is giving them a chance to talk of their experiences and to gain solace in the fact that there are others who could have potentially gone through the same experiences.
Their long-term goal is to work to prevent abuse of vulnerable adults.
For information on the support group, people can contact Reshetar at 402-4749 or Sorensen at 383-6963.
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