Family seeks answers in Itasca nursing home death
They never wanted to place their mother in a nursing home in the first place.
But after Sarah Wentworth's dementia worsened, to the point she would fall and wander off, her three daughters said it became clear they needed professional help to protect their mom.
They thought she would be safe at The Arbor of Itasca, a cozy private facility with a solid rating.
Less than three years later, the 89-year-old woman was found dead in an outdoor courtyard in subfreezing temperatures while bare foot and in a nightgown.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, her family accused The Arbor and its staff of "gross neglect" in failing Feb. 5 to ensure Wentworth received proper medical care and supervision.
"If we had any suspicions, she would have been pulled out the next day," said daughter Pat Mackey, of East Dundee, clasping her sisters' hands during a news conference. "I still can't believe she died this way. She was the matriarch of our family."
The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating the nursing home death.
Police also met with DuPage County prosecutors Wednesday to determine if criminal charges are warranted. A possible charge of obstructing justice, a felony, may apply if authorities determine staff intentionally misled police to cover up what happened.
Police said they uncovered conflicting information while interviewing nine employees on duty that morning. For example, a staff member reported Wentworth was sleeping in her bed during a 3 a.m. well-being check. Authorities said that runs contrary to other staff interviews.
The family attorney, Louis C. Cairo, said Wentworth's roommate got up at that time to use the washroom and noticed the woman was not in her bed.
Her daughters also question how Wentworth ended up outside because they said she lacked the strength to lift herself out of bed, walk through the hallway and open two security doors to get outside. Her walker, Cairo said, still was in her room. He said Wentworth also wore a security ankle bracelet that was supposed to trigger door alarms.
"She was basically left to die alone in freezing weather," Cairo said. "The goal of this lawsuit is to find out what happened to their mother and make sure this doesn't happen to another resident of a nursing home."
Wentworth, known as "Sally" to friends and family, grew up in southern Illinois with seven sisters and two brothers. She later moved to Chicago, where she and her husband, Richard, raised their three daughters on the city's west side.
The family was active at Our Lady of the Angels Church for three decades. Richard died 11 years ago. Sarah Wentworth lived with her daughter, Peggy Kennedy, in Lincoln Park, for three years until the elder woman's dementia worsened.
Kennedy said they researched nursing facilities before selecting The Arbor.
"It was a very hard decision that we made together," Kennedy said. "We felt that she was safe. So, this is devastating. I don't know what to think."
They urged other families to routinely research nursing facilities because ratings can quickly change, especially with government financial cuts. For example, The Arbor went from a five-star to one-star rating due to a rise in complaints and decline in staffing, according to the Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The sisters said family members visited Wentworth five days a week and always made sure she had her hair done and nails polished. In fact, on Feb. 1, daughter Cathy Shain celebrated her birthday with her mom. It would be the last time she saw her alive.
"The hardest thing for me is to remember the last picture I have of her at the coroner's office," Shain said, "with her hands all scraped up and her nails cracked. My mother was a proud, private woman who would be mortified that this was her demise."
The daughters left a rosary with their mother's body before leaving. A 9:30 a.m. Saturday funeral Mass is planned at Saint Clement Church, 642 W. Deming Place, Chicago.
For more information on nursing home complaints and ratings, visit: idph.state.il.us and cms.hhs.gov.