Choking Death of Philadelphia Nursing Home Resident leads to Pennsylvania Attorney General Taking over DNA Testing

A hair discovered on a paper wipe found lodged in the throat of Cheryl Yewdall, a 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, was recently ordered by a judge to be sent out for private DNA testing as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the woman’s mysterious choking death in 2022. Before evidence could be sent to the lab, the Pennsylvania AG’s office stepped in to take control of the testing.

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office has involved itself in the DNA testing of a hair discovered on a wipe removed from the trachea of a Philadelphia nursing home resident who later died, says an article in U.S. News & World Report.

Stuck to a wipe pulled from the windpipe of 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident Cheryl Yewdall prior to her death, the hair was discovered by a pathologist for Yewdall’s family after having apparently been missed by Philadelphia investigators. The wrongful death attorney for the family requested a judge order DNA testing of the hair, which could potentially shed light on whether Yewdall’s death was an accident or a homicide.

According to the article, the state attorney general’s office originally appeared unwilling to get involved with the DNA testing; however, after Philadelphia was subpoenaed to turn over the evidence to a laboratory of the family’s choosing, the AG’s office took control of the evidence and will see the testing performed as ordered. The family’s wrongful death attorney subsequently withdrew his demand for private DNA testing, citing “pending criminal investigation” as the reason.

The investigation began nearly three years ago after Yewdall, a resident of the Merakey Woodhaven facility in Philadelphia, died five days after she was discovered lying face down on the floor of the facility, lips blue, lying in a pool of urine. At the hospital a 7-by-10-inch wipe was pulled from her airway; the medical examiner could not determine how the wipe appeared in Yewdall’s throat. Yewdall’s mother, convinced an extreme incident of nursing home malpractice had occurred, subsequently secured a wrongful death attorney and filed a $15 million lawsuit against Merakey Woodhaven. Charges have yet to be filed.

Merakey has denied all allegations of nursing home malpractice related to Yewdall’s death. In response to the wrongful death attorney’s claim that a Merakey employee forced the wipe into Yewdall’s throat, Merakey argued that the type of wipe discovered is not used at Woodhaven and instead was likely inserted into the victim’s throat after leaving the facility, perhaps by the EMTs who rushed Yewdall to the hospital. The wrongful death attorney in turn said that an expert will testify that the wipe was present when EMTs arrived on the scene.

The wrongful death attorney has previously contended that Yewdall, whose gag reflex functioned normally despite her cerebal palsy, could not have inserted the wipe into her own throat; moreover, the wrongful death attorney contended, the strand of black hair on the wipe could not have come from Yewdall, as a recent photograph of the victim showed her with mostly gray hair.

Certain incidents previously discovered by the family implicate Merakey Woodhaven as having subjected Yewdall to nursing home malpractice, such as allowing her broken leg to go undiagnosed for weeks and also including an alleged falling event that left Yewdall with a black eye and swollen cheek. Most damning is an audio recording of Yewdall saying, “Listen to me, a———. Settle down baby. I’m going to kill you if you don’t settle down. I’m going to kill you, a———.” According to the wrongful death attorney, Yewdall, who suffered from a condition called echolalia that caused her to repeat things she overheard, heard these threats at Marakey Woodhaven.

A trial has been set for next year.

Battling Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is committed to combating nursing home malpractice in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. No Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home resident should suffer abuse or negligence or live in fear of nursing home wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience as a Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney. He is committed to bringing his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases to successful resolutions. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Elder Abuse and Neglect Investigations Are Staggeringly Slow in Pennsylvania, often with Tragic Result

Many of Pennsylvania’s agencies responsible for protecting older adults are failing to investigate complaints of elder abuse and neglect within a safe timeframe, says a Spotlight PA article. State regulations mandate that Pennsylvania’s 52 county protective services agencies, called Area Agencies on Aging, which are tasked with investigating allegations of elder abuse, must complete investigations within 20 days. According to data collected by a Spotlight PA investigation, certain of these county agencies have taken as much as five times longer than the 20 days to achieve determinations in abuse and neglect investigations.

What’s more, says the article, is that there has also been an astounding 91 percent increase in deaths of elderly Pennsylvanians during open investigations since 2018, a circumstance that would seem to require the involvement of wrongful death attorneys; however, accountability for these deaths is practically impossible to determine as the Department of Aging, which oversees the state’s agencies, does not track causes of death, and state’s agencies aren’t required to report it.

Reform and transparency are demanded immediately, says the article, especially as the number of adults aged 60 and over in the state continues to grow (projected by 2030 to outnumber every other age group). Apparently some new legislation introduced by State Rep. Lou Schmitt (R., Blair) would require the Department of Aging to make public the compliance status of every Pennsylvania county agency; meanwhile, Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich has told the agencies his office is formulating a plan to publish more performance information about them.

“We as a department have to do better,” said Kavulich.

Suspecting Nursing Home Malpractice and Elder Abuse

If you suspect your loved one living at a Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home is the victim of nursing home malpractice in the form of abuse or neglect, it is good practice to inform the nursing home administrator as well as your state’s Department of Health/Ombudsman’s Office, and certainly a state investigator, whose number is required to be made available to you by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home. It is also imperative to contact a nursing home malpractice attorney immediately. While an investigation of the accusation of nursing home malpractice will be put into motion, having an experienced nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney available to you will be indispensible throughout the process, as he or she can inform you of pertinent matters of the law while also working on your behalf to ensure a comprehensive nursing home malpractice investigation is conducted.

Fighting Against Elder Abuse, Nursing Home Malpractice, and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy strives to uphold the safety and the rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should live without concern about being subjected to abuse, neglect, or any sort of nursing home malpractice. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for poor care. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.

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DNA Testing Could Give Answers in Mysterious Wrongful Death of Philadelphia Nursing Home Resident Found with a Disinfectant Wipe Lodged in Her Throat

In January 2022, Cheryl Yewdall, a 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, died after a paper towel or disinfecting wipe was discovered lodged in her trachea. The woman’s mother secured a wrongful death attorney and filed a lawsuit against Merakey Woodhaven, where her daughter lived since she was ten. New DNA evidence could shed new light on the case.

The family of a Philadelphia nursing home resident who died after choking on a paper towel or disinfecting wipe has requested DNA testing on a hair stuck to the wipe, says a Bowling Green Daily News article. A single black hair, apparently missed by homicide investigators who were unable determine if the death was a homicide or an accident, has been discovered via magnification of police evidence photos by a pathologist for the victim’s family; the family subsequently contacted a judge to request DNA testing of the hair.

In January 2022, workers at Philadelphia’s Merakey Woodhaven found 50 year-old resident Cheryl Yewdall face down on the floor, in a pool of urine, her lips blue—circumstances indicative of nursing home malpractice. A 7-by-10-inch paper towel or cleaning wipe was discovered blocking her airway. Following an investigation, the question of how the wipe got into her throat remains a mystery. After contacting a wrongful death attorney, Yewdall’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the home.

According to the news article, the wrongful death attorney and a second lawyer filed a motion on June 21 that included a photograph of Yewdall with mostly gray hair. The black hair on the wipe—and even the wipe itself—might contain DNA not belonging to Yewdall, contends the wrongful death attorney. The article says that, thus far, no indication of a willingness to conduct DNA testing has been shown.

The nursing home has denied any responsibility for Yewdall’s death. The suit filed by the wrongful death attorney for Yewdall’s family accuses a staff member at Marakey Woodhaven of jamming the paper towel/cleaning wipe down her throat. While Yewdall suffered from cerebral palsy, her medical records indicated a normal functioning of her gag reflex, suggestive of the fact that Yewdall could not have inserted the wad of paper into her own windpipe; furthermore, previous incidents indicative of nursing home malpractice support the lawsuit’s accusations:

• In early 2021, Yewdall suffered an undiagnosed broken leg for weeks. When it was finally discovered, the physician-ordered leg immobilizer went unimplemented.
• Later that year, Yewdall suffered a black eye and swollen cheek, which the facility claimed was the result of a fall.
• Most significantly, an audio recording of Yewdall—who has a condition known as echolalia, which involves the repeating of other people’s words and phrases—reveals her saying, “Listen to me, a———. Settle down baby. I’m going to kill you if you don’t settle down. I’m going to kill you, a———.” According to the lawsuit, these words were overheard by Yewdall at Marakey Woodhaven.

Taking Nursing Homes to Task for Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting against nursing home malpractice in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. No Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home resident should be subjected to the abusive and negligent acts that amount to nursing home malpractice, and no one should live in fear of nursing home wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience coming up against Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes in matters of nursing home malpractice and as a wrongful death attorney. He is dedicated to successfully resolving his clients’ cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Former Pennsylvania Nursing Home Aide Sentenced for Stealing Jewelry from Dementia Patients 

In a shocking incident of nursing home malpractice, a former nursing aide of a Pennsylvania nursing home has been sentenced to time in jail for stealing jewelry from dementia patients, says an article on triblive.com. Christina Louise Ankney, of Allegheny County, has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property related to two incidents that took place while she was subcontracted to work as an aide at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.

According to the article, Ankney stole rings from two patients and later pawned them at a local pawn shop for cash. Two of the rings she’d pawned were wedding and engagement rings wrested from the fingers of a patient who suffered from a condition that left her hands in a constant state of contraction.

“For Ankney to steal the two rings…she would have had to forcefully pry (the victim’s fingers) open and physically keep them open long enough for her to pull the two rings from her fingers, a task that most likely caused (the victim) discomfort,” said an officer quoted in the criminal complaint about the incident of nursing home malpractice.

A tip to police about the pawning led authorities to identify the missing rings and confirm Ankney as the person who had pawned them.

As penalty for the theft equating to nursing home malpractice, Ankney was sentenced to serve 306 days to 23 months in jail and to pay $9,500 in restitution to one victim’s family and $130 to Redstone Highlands.

Beyond this incident of nursing home malpractice, Ankney is separately the subject of a federal indictment for allegedly stealing mail while employed by the U.S. Postal Service in 2022.

Nursing home theft is a type of nursing home abuse, and when it happens, an incident of nursing home malpractice has occurred. If you suspect your loved one living in a nursing home has been victimized by nursing home theft, don’t hesitate to report it. For any questions about what to do if you suspect elder abuse or what steps to take if you need a wrongful death attorney, you should contact a nursing home malpractice attorney immediately.

Fighting Against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy endeavors to protect the safety and rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should not need to worry that his or her person items are at risk of being stolen or that he or she should be subjected to any sort of nursing home malpractice, especially any sort that would require securing a wrongful death attorney. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for every kind of negligence and abuse. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.

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Staff Requirements are Falling Short for Most Pennsylvania and New Jersey Nursing Homes, Says Analysis

In 2026, federal staffing minimums will be implemented in an effort to address staffing shortages that contribute to incidences of nursing home malpractice. Few facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are close to meeting these minimums, a new report finds.

The majority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes don’t meet the staffing requirements drafted under a new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a Philly Voice article says. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, under 20 percent of Pennsylvania nursing homes and only 15 percent of New Jersey nursing homes meet certain staffing requirements due to take effect in 2026.

Following the pandemic, during which over 167,000 nursing home residents died, a severe drop in nursing home staff occurred. Subsequent reports of neglect, abuse, and nursing home malpractice followed. The CMS rule, proposed last year and released in finalized form in April, seeks to help resolve the low staffing that results in nursing home malpractice as well as tragic deadly incidents that require the intervention of a wrongful death attorney.

The finalized CMS rule will require a total nurse staffing standard of 3.48 hours per resident day (HPRD), which needs to include 0.55 HPRD for registered nurses and 2.45 HPRD for nurse aides. According to the Philly Voice article, the KFF analysis shows the following data related to Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes vis-à-vis the staffing requirements:

• Pennsylvania – Only 18 percent of nursing homes currently provide the 2.45 HPRD from nurse aids, while 56 percent of homes meet the total nursing standard and under 70 percent meet the 0.55 HPRD for RNs.
• New Jersey – In New Jersey, 19 percent of nursing homes meet the minimum 2.45 HPRD from nurse aides, while 55 percent meet the registered nurse staffing standards, and just over 50 percent meet the total nursing standard.

Low staffing in nursing homes interferes with workers’ and nurses’ ability to adequately perform tasks and give care to vulnerable nursing home residents, which equates to nursing home malpractice in the following forms:

• Malnutrition and dehydration from inadequate provision of food and water
• Poor nursing home hygiene and the development/deterioration of bed sores
• Increased nursing home falls  and medication errors
• Nursing home illnesses
• Nursing home infections
• Nursing home injuries
• Wrongful death, necessitating the involvement of a wrongful death attorney

If you are worried about staffing levels at your loved one’s nursing home, or if you suspect injuries, illnesses, or wrongful death has occurred as a result of poor nursing home staffing, don’t hesistate—contact a nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney right away.

Holding Nursing Homes Responsible for Poor Staffing Levels

Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home should not need to tolerate circumstances of nursing home malpractice related to low staffing, especially those that compromise their health and safety or subject them to the possibility of wrongful death. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. With extensive experience as a wrongful death attorney fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Brian Murphy is committed to successfully resolving his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Missing Elderly Woman Who Wandered from Pennsylvania Nursing Home Found Dead 

An elderly woman who wandered from her Pennsylvania nursing home last month was found dead the day after she was reported missing, says an NBC Philadelphia article. On Monday, July 8, 84-year-old Nadine Beech was reported missing from the Waverly Heights retirement community in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, after staff members discovered she hadn’t shown up for lunch. Her body was found the following afternoon in Bryn Mawr.

Due to the dangerous heat that Monday, the woman’s unfamiliarity with the area, and her possible confused mental state, police initiated a search for Beech and asked hospitals and local residents to check areas of their property in an effort to find her. The police search for Beech, who apparently wasn’t carrying her cellphone or any money, involved drones, choppers, ATVs and K9s making a large-scale search of the area.

Beech, who had moved to Waverly Heights on June 29, had been assessed as someone not at risk of wandering off and was “free to come and go,” according to Waverly Heights president Tom Garvin. According the article, officials could not determine why Beech had walked out of the facility, other than that she “wasn’t thrilled” about having been admitted. Garvin said that Waverly Heights implemented a missing resident protocol once Beech was discovered missing.

Elopement, the term for when a resident at risk of wandering leaves his or her nursing home undetected, is a surprisingly common type of nursing home malpractice that unfortunately often results in death, requiring the involvement of a wrongful death attorney. A recent investigation shows that a startling number of American nursing home elopements occur, often with tragic results, as was the case with Nadine Beech.

Many times nursing home elopement is the result of low staff-to-resident ratios. Elopement sometimes goes undetected when staff engages in such neglectful instances of nursing home malpractice as ignoring door alarms, skipping bed checks, or sleeping on the job.

If your loved one living at a nursing home has been determined to be at risk for wandering and staff does not prevent him or her from elopement, nursing home malpractice has occurred and a nursing home malpractice lawyer should be immediately contacted, particularly if injury has occurred. In the tragic situation of a death occurring as a result of elopement, a wrongful death attorney needs to be contacted.

Protecting Your Loved Ones from Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy represents victims of abuse and neglect in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. As an accomplished nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for substandard care and incidents of abuse, particularly staff negligence that leads to elopement or any type of nursing home malpractice that results in wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy is convinced that no resident of a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should need to live in fear of elder abuse, neglect, or any kind of nursing home malpractice. He is ready to discuss your legal options. If you or your loved one needs to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today.

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Pennsylvania Nurse Charged with Multiple Nursing Home Murders Gets Life in Prison

The Pennsylvania nurse who gave high—and in many cases, lethal—doses of insulin to several of her patients has pled guilty to three counts of murder as well as other charges and received a life sentence in prison, says an NBC Philadelphia article.

Initially charged with the deaths of two nursing home patients while injuring a third, former nurse Heather Pressdee, 41, was ultimately found to be involved in the deaths of at least 17 patients ranging from 43 to 104 years of age in nursing homes across four Pennsylvania counties between 2020 and 2023, said prosecutors. Following the original charges against her, subsequent investigations resulted in multiple other charges being brought against her by wrongful death attorneys.

A recent lawsuit brought by a wrongful death attorney was filed in April against Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and its parent company, Armstrong SNF Operator LLC. The suit charged the home with nine counts of nursing home malpractice for neglecting to prevent the hiring of Pressdee in spite of her dismissals from other homes, for failing to prevent the death of a 90 year-old woman who’d been given an overdose of insulin administered by Pressdee, and for neglecting to report or act on reports related to suspected abuse.

At her hearing in Butler County, Pressdee pled guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder, and received three consecutive life sentences, as well as another consecutive term of 380-760 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Pressdee allegedly administered the high doses of insulin to her patients—including those who were not diabetic—during quiet, low-staffed overnight shifts, in order to avoid the swift hospitalization of her victims. The NBC Philadelphia article said Pressdee’s coworkers had frequently taken issue with the former nurse’s professional conduct and witnessed her showing contempt for her patients and saying disparaging things about them.

Fighting Against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy dedicates his practice to upholding the safety and rights of residents in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Your loved one should never have to endure nursing home negligence or abuse that results in injury, illness, or especially wrongful death. Brian Murphy is experienced in taking to task negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for all types of nursing home malpractice. If you need to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Ninth Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Connection with Pennsylvania Nurse Charged with Killing Two Nursing Home Residents and Attempted Murder of a Third

The latest lawsuit involving Heather Pressdee, the former registered nurse charged with homicide and attempted murder, claims that her being fired or forced to resign from multiple nursing homes was a red flag indicating a history of nursing home malpractice.

A new wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Pennsylvania nursing home in connection with former nurse Heather Pressdee, says a Trib Live article, marking the ninth wrongful death lawsuit against a nursing home where Pressdee worked.

Pressdee is criminally charged with killing two nursing home residents and attempting to murder a third by giving them lethal doses of insulin at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility near Pittsburgh. This act of nursing home malpractice was called “deliberate and intentional” by the Pennsylvania attorney general. According to the Trib Live article, Pressdee has been connected by state prosecutors to the deaths of at least 17 patients, and the mistreatment of five more, at nursing homes across four Pennsylvania counties between 2020 and 2023. She is being held in the Butler County jail.

The latest suit brought by a wrongful death attorney has been filed against Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and its parent company, Armstrong SNF Operator LLC, on behalf of patient Louise Skinner, 90, who died in December 2022. The suit claims Skinner, like Pressdee’s other alleged victims, died from an overdose of insulin administered by Pressdee and that Armstrong Rehabilitation is liable; it accuses the facility of nursing home malpractice in the form of negligence due to the fact that the home hired Pressdee in November 2022 despite her string of dismissals and resignations from other nursing homes.

The suit furthermore accuses Armstrong Rehabilitation staff of nursing home malpractice in the form of negligence in that it failed to prevent Pressdee from giving unnecessary insulin to Skinner, and in that it neglected to report or act on reports regarding suspected abuse. In total the lawsuit brought by the wrongful death attorney contains nine counts, including negligence and vicarious liability.

According to the article, the eight other wrongful death lawsuits connected with Pressdee make similar claims of liability against two other Pennsylvania nursing homes and their owners. They have been brought against Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lower Burrell and Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Butler.

Fighting Against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy dedicates his practice to upholding the safety and rights of residents in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Your loved one should never be subject to nursing home negligence that results in injury or illness or especially wrongful death. Brian Murphy is experienced in taking to task negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for all types of nursing home malpractice. If you need to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Resident Died from Sepsis: Pennsylvania Nursing Home Charged with Wrongful Death and Alleged Severe Neglect 

The Old Orchard Health Care Center in Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem Township has been accused of nursing home malpractice in the form of extreme negligence after a resident died from sepsis who was  afflicted with multiple infected bedsores and other affliction in late 2021.

A Pennsylvania nursing home has been accused of nursing home negligence after a resident died in a septic state at a local emergency room, says a WFMZ 69 News article.

According to the suit brought by the administrator of the estate of the deceased and filed by her wrongful death attorney, Linda Loyko alleges that Myron Loyko suffered extreme physical pain, mental anguish, and humiliation as a result of negligence on the part of Old Orchard Health Care Center in Bethlehem Twp. This act of nursing home malpractice, Linda Loyko claims, ultimately led to Myron Loyko’s death on Dec. 13, 2021.

According to the article, court records indicate that during the month of his death Myron Loyko suffered the following afflictions:

• Distended Abdomen
• Testicular Pain
• Shortness of Breath
• Confusion
• Difficulty speaking

Nine days before his death, Myron Loyko was treated at the emergency department at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus and was found to have the following conditions:

• Urinary tract infection
• Acute kidney injury
• Fournier’s gangrene
• Sepsis
• Pressure ulcers on his buttocks and scrotum

The article cites court records as alleging that Myron Loyko died from nursing home negligence and careless acts of nursing home malpractice.

As alleged by the suit brought by the estate’s wrongful death attorney, the Old Orchard Health Care Center failed on a number of fronts to properly care for Myron Loyko and thus by negligence contributed to his wrongful death. Among these acts of failure are the following:

• Inadequate staffing levels
• Failure to ensure proper nutritional intake
• Lack of training/supervision of employees in the proper care of disabled residents
• Depriving Myron Loyko of an evaluation by a specialist
• Neglecting to inform family of Myron Loyko’s condition
• Failure to implement and enforce proper policies and procedures
• Lack of sufficient safety equipment

Nursing home neglect is a type of nursing home malpractice in which facilities fail to provide residents with any type of care required to maintain physical, mental, and psycho/social health. Certain typical conditions under which neglect occurs include low nursing staff levels and incompetent health providers, and common signs of neglect include malnutrition and dehydration, bed sores, infections, and unexpected death.  If someone’s loved one living in a nursing home has suffered an injury or death and nursing home neglect is suspected, it is imperative that a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney is immediately contacted.

Your Advocate against Nursing Home Neglect and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is dedicated to protecting the safety and preserving the rights of residents in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Your loved one should not fear that nursing home negligence will result in illness, bed sores, humiliation, or especially wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy is experienced in taking to task negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for all types of nursing home malpractice. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

The post Pennsylvania Nursing Home Charged with Wrongful Death of Resident Who Died from Sepsis; Severe Neglect Alleged appeared first on The Law Firm of Brian P. Murphy, PC.

Nursing Home Administrators in Bucks County Sentenced to Jail for Neglecting to Report Sexual Assault of Three Dementia Patients: 

In an egregious act of nursing home malpractice, two former administrators at The Landing of Southampton filed sanitized incident reports that neglected to document the sexual assaults of three dementia patients by a fourth patient at their assisted living facility.

Two former Bucks County nursing home administrators were recently sentenced to time in jail for failing to report the sexual assaults of three dementia patients by another nursing home resident, says The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to the article, the administrators at the Landing of Southampton dissuaded employees from filing written reports or notifying county authorities of these occurrences of nursing home malpractice, as required by state law.

Joy Alfonsi, 48, and Ashley Harker, 38, were given 3-to-24 months in the county jail for attempting to cover up the assaults at the Bucks County facility where both were administrators. Alfonsi was previously the director of nursing and Ashley Harker the general manager of the Landing until they were fired in October 2021 during the criminal investigation of the incident of nursing home malpractice.

The sexual assaults were brought to the attention of state investigators via anonymous reports by The Landing staff members, says the article. Together with the efforts of local police, the investigators uncovered that a male dementia patient had sexually assaulted three other dementia patients across a four-day span last summer. The assaults were committed in common areas where they were witnessed by The Landing employees, who intervened in each case to pull the assailant away from his victims. Due to the man’s dementia diagnosis, he was not charged with criminal activity, but was transferred to a different home.

Both Alfonsi and Harker pleaded guilty in January to three counts of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person. The Inquirer article reports Bucks County Court Judge Gary B. Gillman as saying the sentences he handed down will hopefully discourage such inclinations toward nursing home malpractice in other nursing homes responsible for vulnerable residents.

“This case is about having a moral compass, and needing one to protect those who can’t help themselves,” Gillman said. “How you got to the point where you callously didn’t report sexual assaults and then lied to the families of the victims, I do not know.”

Your Advocate against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is a skilled nursing home malpractice lawyer and wrongful death attorney serving nursing home residents in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should confidently expect to live free from elder abuse, neglect, and every other kind of nursing home malpractice. Brian Murphy holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for substandard care and incidents of abuse, particularly events of nursing home malpractice that result in wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy is ready to discuss your legal options. If you or your loved one needs to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today.

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