Nursing home worker slaps 92-year-old resident in ‘stomach turning’ assault, PA cops say
A worker at a Pennsylvania nursing home faces assault charges after a video showed her slapping a 92-year-old resident across the face, police say.
The incident occurred just after midnight on Monday, April 11, at St. Francis Country House in Darby Borough, just outside Philadelphia. The nursing home waited 16 hours to report the assault, which was caught on video by an employee at the facility, Darby Borough Police Chief Joseph Gabe said in a news briefing on Wednesday, April 13.
Ednise Dulcio, a 39-year-old nurse’s aid at the nursing home, was arrested at her home on Tuesday, April 12. She faces charges that include aggravated assault and simple assault, the police chief said.
St. Francis Country House did not immediately respond to a request for a comment by McClatchy News.
Video shared by a WPVI reporter shows the 92-year-old woman being wheeled out in a hallway before being slapped by the aid. Yelling is heard in the video, as well as the sound of the slap.
“The video is quite frankly disturbing and stomach-turning,” Gabe said. “To witness a defenseless 92-year-old lady be slapped across the face by a person who is paid to provide care has stunned the police department, our borough officials and the community.”
The nursing home resident reportedly has “mental health issues and dementia as well as PTSD from the holocaust,” according to an affidavit obtained by The Delaware County Daily Times.
The staff member who captured the video said it was not the first time Dulcio had struck the 92-year-old, KYW reported.
The nursing home did not take the victim to the hospital for treatment, the police chief said.
“Given the history of this facility, we have major concerns,” Gabe said.
Last year, the former regional director of operations of the facility pleaded guilty to “recklessly endangering three residents,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. Chaim “Charlie” Steg was sentenced to house arrest as a result of the guilty plea.
Steg’s employees had repeatedly warned the manager that staffing issues were endangering residents, but he ignored the warnings, the attorney general said.
“The investigation identified three St. Francis residents who were victims of neglect,” Shapiro said in a news release. “The residents suffered conditions including, pressure wounds, sepsis, dehydration, and bowel obstructions. The evidence showed these outcomes were the result of systemic failures in St. Francis primarily driven by inadequate staffing practices.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Nursing home worker slaps 92-year-old resident in ‘stomach turning’ assault, PA cops say."