Oahu substitute caregiver found guilty in neglect case

An Oahu jury has found a Waipahu care home substitute caregiver guilty of endangering the welfare of an 88-year-old patient.

Francisco Polintan was found guilty Thursday of endangering the welfare of Nona Mosman, who died in May 2013, according to Attorney General Doug Chin.

Mosman was a client in Jennifer Polintan’s “Devine” care home in Waipahu, which was licensed as a Community Care Foster Family Home. Francisco Polintan is Polintan’s father. He served as a substitute caregiver during his daughter’s extended absences. Polintan worked full-time and left Mosman in the care of her father, according to Chin.

Mosman became nonambulatory in late 2012 and eventually became bedbound in early 2013. Once bed-bound, Mosman became susceptible to bed sores and needed to be re-positioned every two hours throughout the day and was completely dependant on Polintan for her activities of daily living, including general hygiene, toileting, and basic self-maintenance. A care plan issued by Mosman’s doctor and the assigned case management agency defined the responsibilities for Polintan.

An investigation revealed that Polintan worked full-time at Schofield Barracks and was absent from the home for 10 hours each day between Monday and Friday. During her absence, Polintan left Mosman in the care of her father, according to Chin.

Adult Protective Services nurses and social workers, as well as hospice nurses and social workers found Mosman soaked in urine-filled diapers, soiled bedding, and generally poor condition during a handful of visits to the home in April and May 2013 while Francisco Polintan was in charge of her care.

Francisco Polintan will be sentenced April 15 and faces up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Jennifer Polintan pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year and is currently serving a one year sentence after entering into a plea deal with the Attorney General’s office.

The Department of the Attorney General encourages community members who suspect that dependent adults are being abused or neglected to contact the Adult Protective Services at 832-5115, or the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 586-1058.