From our local paper - and who knows if it actually happened?

Ed1937

CROWN POINT — A Munster man was charged with repeatedly abusing his wife, who suffers from dementia.

John Lazar, 79, was charged Wednesday with battery resulting in bodily injury to an endangered adult and domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.

Charging documents allege that Lazar had been beating his wife with dementia over the course of several months at their home on the 8000 block of Oakwood Avenue.

The woman’s live-in caretaker described an incident to police where she saw Lazar grab his wife “by the hair on the back of her head. He then forcefully pushed his wife’s head down striking it on the hard surface on the back of the couch,” according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Lazar then placed a bandage on his forearm and “told his son that he cut his arm, which is what caused the couch to be covered in blood,” the affidavit stated.

Police wrote in charging documents that they were called to Lazar’s house on July 31, and Lazar’s neighbor told them that he saw Lazar beating and dragging his wife in the backyard of their house.

Lazar told officers that she “had poor balance and is in the early stages of dementia, and she fell and he pulled her to the backyard but stated his actions could have appeared aggressive,” charges stated.

Lazar would often claim that his wife’s injuries were because of falls, but her caretaker said she never saw the woman fall, according to charging documents.

The woman’s caretaker told police of Aug. 8 incident where Lazar was asking his wife about an alleged affair that happened years ago. Charges stated that Lazar screamed at the woman “Why do you lie to me?” and jabbed her in the face and chin multiple times with his cane.

Police wrote in charging documents that they noticed the woman had a chipped tooth, two black eyes and several other bruises.

When officers detained Lazar, he told them that he and his wife have been married for 61 years and she has started revealing details of her infidelity due to her dementia, charges stated.

He admitted to being angry at his wife because of the infidelity, but he denied ever hitting her, charges stated.

“I’m livid, I’m almost beyond control, but I don’t hit her. I shake her. I threaten her. I threaten to hit her. But I don’t. I do pull her hair,” Lazar told officers, according to the probable-cause affidavit.

Court records indicate that Lazar bailed out of the Lake County Jail Friday.

Ed1937

Was this a case of confabulation?

gampiano

Wow, this is scary. AND, it may not be factually correct.

EG: When my mom was in Hospice Care, and we began to taper off some of her meds, her caregiver accused us of trying to "KILL HER", fought with the hospice nurse, planted more seeds of paranoia in ,my mother's mind. It was a nightmare, and and all of it was factually incorrect. We could all be in similar situations based on someone else's false assumptions .

Another example: When I was doing some editing work for a client with Parkinson's , his caregivers were telling me that his wife was punching him. The man was 6'2", very strong, and his wife was 5'2' and petite.

She was merely trying to get him in and out of the car and having an difficult time of it, but this could have turned into a legal fiasco.

Quilting brings calm

It’s hard to say since dementia patients do fall. And people do lie. However, the caretaker and the neighbors both? There’s no quote in the excerpt above from the son in defense of the husband. In addition, the man admits he’s jealous because he thinks she cheated a LONG time ago. He admitted he shakes her, pulls her hair and threatens to hit her.

I think the husband may have mental issues, emotional issues, or cognitive issues himself