Caregiver Who Abused Dementia Patient for 6 Months, "I Even Raised Their Salary," Family Outraged

An Elderly Dementia Patient in Their 80s Repeatedly Abused by Caregiver
Abuse Discovered on CCTV by Chance... Kicked While Changing Diapers
Caregiver Says "It Was Part of the Care Process, No Intent to Hit"

A caregiver in her 70s in Daejeon has been revealed to have repeatedly abused an elderly dementia patient in his 80s, causing outrage among the family. On the 4th, MBC reported, "A 70-year-old home visit caregiver, Ms. A, is on trial for habitual abuse of an elderly dementia patient, Mr. B, in his 80s." Mr. B's family discovered the abuse by chance while watching footage from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed inside their home around late November last year. The abuse had been occurring for as long as six months.

[Image source=MBC news screen capture]

The footage shows Ms. A suddenly kicking Mr. B while changing his diaper as he lay in bed. Despite Mr. B repeatedly saying, "It hurts, it hurts," she hit him with a long stick, roughly pulled his arm, and punched him. Mr. B's family told MBC, "He was hit so many times that it’s indescribable," and "Watching the video broke our hearts."

Ms. A is known to have cared for Mr. B for nine hours a day since March last year. Bruises and wounds had appeared on Mr. B’s body during that time, but the family thought it was simply due to his fragile skin. In reality, all these symptoms were caused by Ms. A’s abuse. Investigations revealed that Ms. A’s violence and abuse occurred over six months, with more than 30 incidents recorded in just one month of footage.

The home care center that introduced Ms. A stated, "She had no prior criminal record related to abuse and had undergone abuse prevention training," adding, "We were completely unaware of the crimes." Ms. A reportedly said, "It was just part of the care process; I had no intention to hit." According to KBS, the local district office is considering a six-month suspension of operations for the facility where Ms. A works. The district office told KBS, "(The facility) is obligated to provide abuse prevention education for caregivers," and "We are investigating how regularly such training has been conducted."

Mr. B’s family lamented, "Ms. A said she was taking good care of the elder and even asked for a raise when the work became difficult," adding, "If we had found out earlier, we wouldn’t have had to see this or endure such suffering..." The prosecution has arrested caregiver Ms. A on charges of violating the Elderly Welfare Act and has requested a one-year prison sentence. The verdict is scheduled for the 20th.