Shocking footage of four care workers abusing an 89-year-old dementia patient has been caught on camera, after her family became suspicious of bruises on her body.
Two sisters captured the ‘heartbreaking’ video after they became concerned about their grandmother who was left with injuries, and claimed that her behaviour had changed.
The pair told staff at the Wolverhampton care home of their concerns in February 2020, but were dissatisfied with their response.
The sisters then decided to take matters into their own hands by installing a Yi Eye Wi-Fi camera on a photo frame in their grandmother’s bedroom in a bid to see what was happening to her when they were not there.
The upsetting scenes were filmed through motion detection and could be seen in real time on one of the sister’s phones. In the distressing footage, the workers could be seen making fun of the pensioner, aggressively holding her legs in the hair, pushing her and pinching her.
Another clip shows one of the workers grabbing and mocking her, before hitting the pensioner over the head with a pillow. While another piece of footage showed the staff calling the patient ‘disgusting’ and pinning her down while they attempted to dress and clean her.
The sisters took their findings to the care home managers, the Care Quality Commission and West Midlands Police, after sitting through hours of the upsetting footage.
One of the sisters, Danielle, from Wolverhampton, said:
“She first went into the care home in April 2019 and the abuse started in February 2020 – just before lockdown.
“Her behaviour changed, she started hitting me and my sister. She was whacking us and screaming at us, telling us to get out.
‘We went in the next day and she had bruises on her elbows, face, head and wrists. That was what was visible to us, there was a lot more over her body we couldn’t see.
“We called the management straight in and they just asked us to email the pictures. It wasn’t good enough so went out and ordered the camera straight away.
“We knew somebody was hurting her. The bruises on the wrist weren’t alarming, but we knew something was up from the bruises on the face.
“They were above her chin and eyebrow. We were angry more than anything.
“The camera came the next day and we took it to the home. We left it a couple of days and when we brought it home what we saw was just horrific.
“It broke our hearts.”
Carers Ame Tunkara, 33, Morounranti Adefila, 43, Danny Ohen, 39, and Bridget Aideyan, 49, were later charged with ill-treatment and willful neglect.
They were found guilty and jailed for a total of 18 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court at the end of last year.
Three of the four workers were from an agency and one was a permanent staff member at the home.
Detective Constable Kathryn Sargent, from West Midlands Police, said:
“This elderly woman sadly died in October and should not have spent any of her remaining years suffering such ill-treatment.
“On sentencing, Judge Campbell described the footage as ‘chilling’. I hope the lady’s family are content that justice has been served.”
Care home abuse claims
Care homes are supposed to be a place of comfort, care and good quality of living for the elderly and more vulnerable in our society. These homes can be run by a variety of providers, either by the local authority or ever increasingly popular private companies.
Unfortunately, it can be the case that within these care homes, there is a serious lack of care being provided, as a result of underfunding, inadequate policies or staffing in place. In some cases, even because of staff members abusing their positions of power.
These cases are traumatic for both the victim and their family. In order to hold those accountable, it is important to make a claim for care home abuse as soon as possible.
Types of care home abuse and warning signs
Abuse of a victim can take place in many forms, such as:
- Lack of adequate physical care/ Neglect of a resident’s basic needs (such as lack of washing, eating etc.)
- Lack of dignity and respect
- Withholding care or medication
- Abandonment
- Or in more extreme cases emotional, physical and sexual assault
Physical abuse includes acts such as kicking, punching, shoving, and being restrained. Physical abuse can lead to serious injuries and emotional damage.
Emotional abuse can be harder to identify. However, it is the most common form of abuse in care homes. Signs of emotional abuse include changes in mood and behaviour and the person in care seeming fearful.
Neglect differs from abuse. Abuse is the deliberate act to inflict harm on someone. Neglect can be intentional as well as unintentional usually stemming from carelessness, apathy of insufficient staffing.
Abandonment occurs when the person is reliant on caregivers, either at home of in a care setting but are left to fend for themselves.
Who can bring about a claim
The victim of the negligence can bring about a claim in their own right. However, it is often sadly the case that the victim is either unable to bring about a claim or has sadly passed away.
In such circumstances, a claim can be brought on their behalf either by an appropriate person or a friend if the victim is still with us. If the victim has passed away it can be brought by the executor of the estate or a surviving dependent if the victim.
Our specialist team will be able to discuss whether you have a right to bring about a claim – so if you or a loved one have been affected, do not hesitate to contact us.
How to make a claim?
If you feel that you or a loved one has suffered institutional abuse, you may be entitled to bring about a claim.
Please contact one of our dedicated members of the team on 0113 200 9720, who will listen sympathetically to you and talk you through the claims process.
If you would prefer to reach out via email, please contact Carol Cook, the head of the department at c.cook@oakwoodsolicitors.co.uk.
The team at Oakwood Solicitors will be able to give you confidential, no obligation, advice on the prospects of your case and whether you would be eligible to make a claim.
Further reading
Elderly and care home abuse – Oakwood Solicitors
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Carol Cook joined Oakwood Solicitors in May 2017 to lead the Medical Negligence Department.
Carol handles a wide range of clinical, cosmetic and dental negligence claims and has years of experi…
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