Jinhae Police Station Books Nursing Home Director for Beating and Abusing Dementia Patient

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The director of a nursing home who abused elderly dementia patients under her care has been booked.

On the 20th, the Jinhae Police Station in Gyeongnam announced that they have booked the nursing home director A (59, female) without detention on charges of violating the Elderly Welfare Act.

A is accused of hitting dementia patient B (88, female), who was hospitalized for part of the period from early August to the end of September last year, several times with a spoon. Patient B, who has dementia, was struck on the face and cheeks by A with a spoon because she did not eat properly or did not obey instructions.

Police investigations also confirmed that A verbally abused the elderly dementia patient with harsh words such as "Do you want to die?" and shouted when the patient did not obey. A is also accused of causing sexual humiliation by failing to install privacy screens when putting diapers on dementia patients who had difficulty moving and impaired cognitive abilities.

Among the 21 patients hospitalized at the facility, 18 to 19 are dementia patients with impaired memory, so the police believe there may be more victims.

The police stated, "There are no closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the facility, and since most of the victims are dementia patients, it was not easy to prove the charges," adding, "We are investigating the truth of additional cases such as patients being tied up with cloth or being beaten."