Max Hauptman
USA TODAY
Three people were arrested in Arkansas on October 31, 2023, on charges related to Medicaid fraud and elder abuse. The cases involve separate incidents, including one where an employee at an assisted living facility was seen striking an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease.
Ja’Layia J. McClendon, 28, of North Little Rock, was arrested for abusing an endangered or impaired person after witnesses reported seeing her strike an 82-year-old woman living at a Little Rock assisted living facility. The victim, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was left with bruises on her face and forearm.
Trey Franks, 28, of Little Rock, was also arrested the same day on charges of abusing an impaired person. Prosecutors say Franks transferred over $1,000 from the bank account of a woman in a long-term care facility in Cabot, Arkansas, to his credit card in five separate transactions between September and October 2023.
The third individual arrested was Hannah Christmas, 34, of Hamburg, Arkansas, who faces Medicaid fraud charges. Christmas is accused of billing the Dermott, Hamburg, and Lakeside school districts $5,500 for physical therapy services that were never provided between August 2023 and April 2024.
Elder abuse can involve various forms of mistreatment, including physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, as well as financial exploitation and neglect. The Justice Department estimates that more than 10% of individuals over the age of 65 experience some form of elder abuse each year.
