The family of a former Neshaminy Manor resident claims that the shortage of staff at the 360-bed Bucks County-run nursing home contributed to the death of the 92-year-old woman.
In an unlawful death lawsuit filed earlier this month, Marie Ertz's estate alleged that nursing staff had not taken appropriate fall precautions, and the lack of surveillance led to her death.
The lawsuit names the defendant Bucks County, Neshaminy Manor, Genesis Healthcare LLC and county healthcare staff, a privately for-profit organization in Harrisburg.
According to a lawsuit in Eastern Pennsylvania, U.S. District of Philadelphia, Ertz was a resident of a non-profit nursing home in Warrington for nearly three years after he died in 2023, two months after falling from his wheelchair in 2023.
The lawsuit alleges that nursing staff at the facility were unable to develop a care plan for ELTZ when she was allowed to address safety concerns despite her history of fall risking.
According to the lawsuit, Ertz allegedly fell out of a wheelchair at the facility on Valentine's Day 2023. The lawsuit alleges that the circumstances surrounding the fall are not included in nursing home records.
Records show that nursing staff didn't believe Ertz was injured in the fall, but the next day she began complaining about the pain, the lawsuit said.
Nursing staff did not arrange for Ertz to be seen by doctors, but according to the lawsuit they gave her over-the-counter painkillers.
However, Ertz is said to have continued to complain of pain, including frequent screams over the next few weeks.
Nursing staff are said to have continued to provide her painkillers in store.
However, the facility did not investigate the underlying cause of the pain, the family claims. The lawsuit states that doctors were not notified of her ongoing pain.
A month after her fall, the nursing staff tried to help Ertz out of bed and found himself unable to put weight on his right leg.
At that point, Eltz was taken to the ER for an X-ray and she revealed that her hips were broken. As a result, Ertz underwent surgery on the bone of his right thigh on March 15th, 2023.
She was also diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis on the right side. This is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, potentially migrating into the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism.
When Eltz returned to Neshaminy Manor two days after the surgery, nursing staff ordered that a floor alarm be installed in the room to alert staff if Eltz tried to leave the bed. Nine days later, a bed alarm was added, the lawsuit said.
Almost two months after her fall, Ertz died as a result of terminal dementia, the lawsuit said.
According to ElderLife Financial Services, US News & World Report nominated Neshaminy Manor in 2024 and 2025 as one of the nation's best nursing homes. Monthly costs at the facility range from $2,600 to $9,825 a month.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Neshaminy Manor was unable to provide enough and expected care to residents, and Medicare records alleged that the facility was understaffed quarterly in the year when Ertz lived there, saving the county millions of dollars.
Neshaminy Manor's income comes from county taxpayers and federally and state-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Neshaminy Manor has saved at least $2.7 million, below the expected minimum Medicare rules required between 2021 and 2023, but has provided inadequate nursing care to residents, the lawsuit says.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be contacted at jciavaglia@gannett.com
