HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A 95-year-old patient at a West End assisted living community was seriously injured after police say a nurse punched him in the face.

Officers arrested the nurse, 53-year-old Wakeisha Culler, on Thursday and charged her with malicious wounding. 

But it’s the patient and his family who are left struggling the most. The 95-year-old is now blind and going to lose his right eye.

Al Soroka suffers from severe dementia. In March, his family moved the 95-year-old into Beth Sholom Home in Henrico County.

They say they got to know the staff well, including Wakeisha Culler. 

But last week, detectives say Culler attacked her elderly patient. She’s now charged with felony malicious wounding and has lost her job.

Soroka’s daughter said Culler punched her father in the face, leaving him blind in that right eye. His daughter added that he also must undergo surgery to remove that eye.

Below is a statement from Beth Sholom Home:

As one of the Richmond area’s most respected providers of senior care, the well-being of our residents is our highest priority at Beth Sholom. Allegations of mistreatment inside our facility are taken very seriously and will never be tolerated. We notified the proper authorities when we became aware of this incident and immediately launched our own internal investigation. As a result of our review, the individual in question was terminated. We also have pledged our full and complete cooperation with the ongoing investigations. Out of respect for the legal process, we will not be able to discuss the details of this case.

We have been in contact with the family involved and are working to address any concerns they may have. At Beth Sholom, we strive to create an environment where people feel at home. The experiences of the family involved have not met up to that promise and for that we apologize.
The alleged actions of this one individual do not reflect the quality of care provided by Beth Sholom. We are committed to using this most unfortunate event as a learning moment for all of our staff to ensure that our residents receive the care they deserve.

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