Courts. (Credit: LevittownNow.com)
A Philadelphia woman, Rosematte Darelus, 56, has been sentenced for abusing a dementia patient at Woodland Creek Memory Care in Dresher, Upper Dublin Township, according to a report.
The incident occurred in April 2023 when Darelus, then an aide at the facility, slapped an elderly woman after the patient splashed her with water.
Following a non-jury trial, Montgomery County Judge Risa Vetri Ferman sentenced Darelus to 3 to 23 months in county jail, followed by one year of probation, totaling about three years of court supervision. Darelus was also barred from working with care-dependent individuals and must complete anger management counseling.
Darelus was taken into custody immediately but may transition to house arrest through the jail’s work release program, pending verification of employment.
The incident came to light after Upper Dublin police were alerted on April 6, 2023. The victim's daughter noticed unexplained bruising and reported the abuse. A housekeeper at the facility witnessed Darelus strike the victim and drag her into the dining room, stating there was no justification for the violent response.
Officials from the facility cooperated with the investigation, and prosecutors emphasized the breach of trust involved in Darelus’s actions. She was convicted of abuse of a care-dependent person and harassment, though acquitted of simple assault.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Kathleen Russell highlighted the emotional toll on the victim’s family, noting that the victim, who is in her 80s, cannot communicate about the incident due to dementia.
Read the full article here.
