Sixty-two year old Carol Kyle faces neglect charges in connection to an elderly dementia resident for whom she cared. Kyle was charged with neglect of care of a dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, and assault. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 10, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in before District Judge Douglas Bell.
Eighty-two year old Nona Meyers had been cared for at Kyle's unlicensed personal care facility since 2006. In Pennsylvania, care facilities allegedly do not have to be licensed if there are fewer than three people being care for. Meyers suffered from the early stages of dementia and was unable to communicate and could not eat, use the restroom, walk or dress without assistance. Kyle received $850 per month for her services.
On May 11, 2007, Kyle took Meyers to the hospital, sat her in a wheelchair, handed insurance cards to a nurse, and said, "She needs to go to a nursing home." Kyle allegedly turned around and left without providing any medical history or information on Myers' condition. Additionally, Kyle failed to notify Meyers' family members.
Hospital staff found Meyers was suffering from bed sores on her left and right heels, left hip, buttocks, and back. She was also suffering from blood poisoning due to the severity of her wounds. Hospital staff told police that the bed sores would have taken eight to ten weeks to reach that level of severity.
The Area Agency on Aging paid a surprise visit to Kyle on May 25, 2007. During the interview, Kyle denied seeing black skin, green seepage, or odor for any of the areas affected by bed sores on Meyers. She also denied that Meyers' hip bone protruded due to the sores. Kyle maintained she was treating Meyers' bed sores and that she moved Meyers and propped her up to alleviate pressure on the affected areas. Kyle failed to tell Meyers' daughter about the sores on her buttocks and hip because she believed that the sores occurred due to rolling Meyers to alleviate pressure.
Meyers died on July 3, 2007.
Kyle is no stranger to trouble when caring for dependent adults. In 2003, she pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of care of a dependent person and theft. According to reports, Kyle refused to take a care patient with a fractured vertebrae for treatment and waited prior to seeking treatment for bruising and swelling on another patient's arm. She also ordered $2,700 in incontinence products for patients who did not need them, instead using them on other patients. She was sentenced to probation in 2001.
In 1999, Kyle's husband, Norman Kyle, pleaded guilty to two counts of unsworn falsification to authorities. On an application to operate a personal care home, he indicated that he had never been convicted of a felony when in fact he had been convicted of second-degree murder in Maryland in 1979. He received two years' probation.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
