Elderly care staff accused of running a dementia patient fight club
Three employees at an American assisted living facility have been accused of running a fight club, where police say dementia patients were encouraged to fight.
Marilyn Latish McKey, 32, Tonacia Yvonne Tyson, 20, and Taneshia Deshawn Jordan, 26 were arrested and charged with assault on an individual with a disability in connection to the elder abuse at the Danby House in North Carolina.
According to court documents reviewed by the Winton-Salem Journal, the three women encouraged two residents – aged 70-year-old and 73-year-old – in the house’s “special care unit” for dementia patients to fight each other as they watched and filmed on a phone.
The accounts reported by the Journal alleged that one of the fighters was heard yelling, “Let go! Help me! Help me! Let go!”
In response, one of the three staffers could be heard saying “stop screaming”, while another attempted to confirm that the phone was actually recording the clip so that it could be sent to her later.
In a separate occasion, one of the employees reportedly physically assaulted a resident by shoving her into her room, while the other two recorded and did not offer help to the woman.
Police announced the three healthcare workers’ arrests on Friday following an investigation into a tip received in June.
“When you’re talking about someone who can’t take care of themselves, we’ve got to give specific attention to that,” Lt Gregory Dorn told Fox 8.
Danby House said the three employees were fired in June when managers were alerted on the events.
“Danby House has a zero-tolerance policy for the mistreatment of those in our care and as such, McKey, Tyson, and Jordan were terminated immediately in June when community management was alerted to this situation,” the facility said.
“Administrators have been working closely with the Winston-Salem Police Department throughout its investigation to ensure justice is served. Additional staff training and a more rigorous vetting process for all new and existing employees at Danby House has been implemented.
“Danby House has undergone leadership changes in recent months, and we look at situations like these as opportunities to improve upon the high standard of care we provide for our residents.”
The three women face Class A misdemeanours, with a maximum penalty of 150 days of incarceration and a discretionary fine. They have been released on bond and are due to appear before court on November 14.