AN IRISHMAN HAS died in New York after being assaulted by a fellow dementia patient at a hospital.

The incident occurred on 22 October at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn. Irish Central reports Patrick Sheehan, who suffered from dementia, accidentally went into the wrong room.

Another dementia patient in the room attacked him, leaving him with serious injuries.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed police attended the scene and observed Sheehan “with a head trauma, bring treated within the facility”.

“Further investigation revealed the male was assaulted by a 65-year-old male and fellow resident. A man named as Larry Hammond was arrested at the hospital and charged with assault.

The Irishman died of his injuries last Thursday.

His wife, Alice, told the New York Daily News that she was not told about her husband’s attack for eight hours.

“When I got there, he was comatose,” she said. He had been in the hospital since 5 October, while his family looked for a suitable nursing home.

“They all loved him because he was so easygoing,” she said. “A couple of the nurses had said ‘I wish he was my grandfather.’”

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said its office stands ready to provide consular assistance to the Sheehan family if requested.

Comments are closed as a person has been charged.

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