Resident to Resident Assault

Mission Skilled Nursing & Sub-Acute Care Facility nursing home allowed Connie Jo Delucca to use her cane to beat her roommate, Vera Plares, to death. The failure to supervise the residents and train staff on how to redirect led to Vera’s wrongful death. The nursing home knew or should have known that Deluca had a documented history of violence. In fact, she strangled another patient at Mission Skilled previously. They should have warned Vera or moved Deluca out of the facility.

The family is currently seeking to raise awareness of elder abuse as the great-granddaughter, Sierra Plares, and over a dozen other people rally to express
their “heartbreak and disgust” over the death of Vera Plares. The family is suing the skilled nursing facility for wrongful death. Sierra says:

What happened here is disgusting, and it’s cruel. And there’s never gonna be any words to bring my family peace.

The family’s attorney, Paul Goyette, said, “If it happens at a nice high-end care facility, like Mission Skilled, what’s it like at less expensive facilities?”

Adam Plares, grandson, said, “Seeing her beaten and bruised is something that I’ll absolutely never forget; they left her here in bed in pain overnight without transferring her to the emergency room.”

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Delucca with the fatal beating but her mental competency is at issue.

Cynthia Hernandez, whose mother resides at this facility, expresses her concern. “I’m very concerned because my mother’s a resident here. What are they doing if they’re not watching the patients and the residents?”