As a former employee of a now-defunct Saxonburg care facility was sentenced for endangering a patient who suffocated, the granddaughters of the 89-year-old woman who died questioned how they will go about finding care for their parents one day.

Sandra Wilbert, 61, of Fenelton, was sentenced Thursday, May 8, to serve two years’ probation after pleading guilty in April to misdemeanor abuse of a care-dependent person.

Six years ago in 2019, Patricia Clifford, an 89-year-old patient at the former Elmcroft of Saxonburg care facility in Bella Court, was found dead in her bed after suffocating between the mattress and bed rail.

Wilbert was responsible for a portion of Clifford’s care.

She was sentenced to an additional 50 hours of community service and may no longer work with care-dependent patients, Judge Joseph Kubit ruled in the hearing.

Six victim impact statements were read by Clifford’s family members and deputy attorney general Samuel Zappala before Wilbert’s sentencing.

Clifford’s two sons, daughter and three granddaughters read statements about their loss, the stress of choosing the right care facility for elderly parents and how they were informed of Clifford’s death.

Granddaughter Ariel Coupland, a specialty courts coordinator at the Mercer County Courthouse, said it’s “shocking” how many defendants she sees who work with care-dependent patients. She was upset Wilbert was the only care facility employee being sentenced.

Kelly Scott, another granddaughter, accused Wilbert of prioritizing convenience over patient safety in her actions and expressed her newfound fear of neglect for all care-dependent patients.

Brian Clifford, her son, and Sharon Johnson, a daughter, both said they were not told the reason of Patricia Clifford’s death when it happened and assumed she passed peacefully during the night. They said they received an anonymous call days later informing them of the circumstances surrounding her death.

Johnson said she doesn’t believe safety measures were followed regarding her mother’s bed alarm. She remembered the sound as loud and “piercing.”

Greg Clifford, Patricia’s other son, recalled his mother getting her nails done the night before her death. His wife, Brenda, told him Patricia Clifford was acting like her usual self.

Wilbert chose not to speak after the impact statements were read.

Wilbert was suspended during the investigation and terminated for gross misconduct after working at the facility for 13 years, according to an affidavit. Facility records showed Wilbert was coached three times about responding to facility alarms promptly.

She was initially charged by the state Office of the Attorney General with felony endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, which was lowered to a misdemeanor charge in her plea agreement.

The family had previously declined an autopsy believing the death was natural, and they were unable to request an autopsy later after she had already been embalmed by the funeral home.

Patricia Clifford had been a resident at the facility since June 2015.

Wilbert was represented by public defender Michael McFarland.