Lower Makefield cops: Alzheimer's patient assaulted by assisted living employee

Posted: Friday, August 15, 2014

A nanny camera captured a now ex-employee of a Lower Makefield assisted living center repeatedly assaulting a 90-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, police said.

The patient’s family had placed the audio/video camera in the woman’s room last year, when she relocated to the Arden Court facility in the 400 block of Stony Hill Road because of concerns about how she was treated at another care center, according to court documents.

Baindu Kromah

In the secretly recorded videos, the woman, who uses a walker and is described as “frail,” is seen and heard crying and pleading for help during several incidents at the residential assisted living unit, police said. The unit serves patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Her adult diaper is ripped off her body in one of the incidents, police said.

The caregiver, Baindu Kromah, 36, of Philadelphia, then pointed at the woman, warned her not to kick before slapping her across the face so hard it was “clearly heard” on the video, according to police.

In another incident caught on camera, Kromah manhandled the woman, police allege.

Kromah grabbed her by her right leg and yanked her around to the side of the bed with so much force that the woman’s legs flung around hitting and knocking her walker to the ground, court documents said.

She then grabbed the elderly woman by the arm and forced her to a standing position before forcing her hands onto the walker and ripping off the woman’s diaper with such force it tore the garment, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Again, the elderly woman is heard crying and begging for help, but Kromah appeared irritated and ignored her pleas, police said.

The elderly resident’s daughter claims that about two months ago she saw a large bruise on the top of her mother’s head, which no one could account for, court documents said. A month ago, she discovered another bruise above her mother’s left eye that no one could explain.

The patient’s granddaughter was visiting on Aug. 10 and saw bruising on her grandmother’s hands and the left side of her face, police said. The granddaughter took the nanny cam home to view the footage.

That is when police say the family’s suspicions of abuse were confirmed and their investigation began.

Kromah, who had worked the overnight shift on weekends at Arden Courts since October, was fired, police said.

Kromah allegedly told police that she was trying to dress the woman but the elderly woman started a fight. Police say that wasn’t the case.

“At no time in the videos is (the woman) observed resisting,” the affidavit shows.

Kromah was arraigned Friday before Morrisville District Judge Michael Burns on two counts of neglect of a care dependent person and four counts of simple assault. She was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia