A patient with severe disabilities suffered serious abuse at a group home in Ocean County, according to allegations detailed in a report recently published by NJ Advance Media. The patient, a young woman who is nonverbal and autistic and has been diagnosed with other health conditions, lived at the Special Children’s Center in Lakewood in 2021 where she was allegedly malnourished and ignored. Her health is reported to have suffered dramatically in multiple ways, including having to have her teeth removed because staff failed to treat an existing acid reflux condition.
The report cites medical records, police reports, court documents and communications between the home’s staff as evidence of the abuse. But state regulators have yet to take enforcement action against the group home, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has not pursued criminal charges.
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Susan K. Livio, who reported on the alleged abuse for NJ Advance Media, discussed the allegations.
