North Carolina Nursing Home Staff Arrested After Facilitating Fights Between Dementia Patients

Three former employees of the Danby House, an assisted living facility in Winston-Salem, N.C., were accused of running a “fight club” from their place of employment. They were arrested earlier this month, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

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Taneshia Deshawn Jordan, 26, was arrested and charged with assaulting a person with a disability on Oct. 2. Tonacia Yvonne Tyson, 20, faced the same charge but was arrested a day later. The final and oldest of the suspects, Marilyn Latish McKey, 32, was arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting an individual with a disability on Oct. 10.

A deficiency report from July 2019 from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) indicates that complaints were filed against Jordan, Tyson, McKey and the Danby House.

The report can be read here. Fight club allegations start on page 10. 

The three women allegedly recorded an altercation between two residents instead of breaking it up. The report also states that one resident strangled the other as she turned red in the face. Jordan, Tyson and McKey allegedly could be heard encouraging one woman to “punch her in the face” as well as verifying that someone was recording. The video was reportedly shared on social media.

The women involved in the fight suffer from dementia. Dementia is caused by abnormal brain changes and symptoms affect each individual differently.

Fighting at Danby House was not the only cause for concern. The deficiency report also said that staffers did not have the proper training or certifications to fulfill daily tasks. Residents weren’t fed or given medications as prescribed. Employees also failed to update patient charts in a timely manner.

As of Aug. 21, Danby House can no longer accept new residents. The violations have the center’s admissions under suspension indefinitely or until Danby House resolves the issues.

“The facility 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,” a spokesperson for the facility said in a statement to Newsweek.

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