Bloomington caregiver arrested for neglect of dependent

A hired caregiver was arrested facing preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent after a woman for whom he was caring died Saturday morning and was found suffering from severe bed sores and tissue injuries.

At about 9:45 a.m. Saturday, caregiver Kenneth Aker Jr., 52, called to report the 53-year-old woman was having difficulty breathing and was possibly having a heart attack, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Lucas Tate said.

An ambulance arrived at Aker’s residence on the 3200 block of South Acadia Court and transported the woman to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where she died sometime before 10:45 a.m., he said.

Upon noticing severe bed sores and tissue injuries on the woman’s back, abdomen and buttock, medical staff at the hospital contacted BPD and advised law enforcement of the possible case.

“One of the bed sores was almost down to the bone,” Tate said.

Aker, whom police arrested later that day, told police he was hired through local service LifeDesigns a little more than 10 years ago to take care of the woman, who was living with cerebral palsy. The woman was largely limited to her bed or wheelchair.
Aker also told police she had been experiencing flu-like symptoms earlier in the week, Tate said.

BPD will continue with the investigation and additional charges might surface, Tate said.

— Kirsten Clark