Care Home Employees Arrested After Neglect Of 71-Year-Old Alzheimer’s Patient Was Captured On Hidden Camera

Jan 06, 2020 by apost team

Finding out that a family member in a care facility is being abused by the very people responsible for caring for them is heartbreaking, but that is exactly what happened to a daughter in Nottinghamshire.

71-year-old, Joy Lewis, was a resident at Brookside House Care Home, placed there by her loving daughters when they were unable to provide daily care for her themselves. What Joy and her family did not expect was that Joy would experience abuse at the hands of her carers.

According to The Mirror, Joy's daughter Kelly first began suspecting there were problems with the care of her mother based on what her mother would tell her when she visited. Joy was sad, scared, and complained about the staff. In addition to the verbal complaints relayed to her daughter, Joy also had physical signs of abuse and neglect on her body. Kelly attempted to speak to the facility and the carers about the situation, but her concerns were brushed off and she was told that her mother was just forgetful or hurt herself.

Wanting to know more, Kelly purchased a clock with a camera inside and placed it in her mother's bedroom so that she could watch what was going on without anyone knowing. Kelly was horrified by the footage her camera caught after just two days and immediately reported the home and carers to the police.

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Video footage recovered showed her mother enduring physical and verbal abuse, pleas for help that went unanswered, and being forced to endure long duration of time in soiled clothing without assistance from her carers. In addition, Joy was dragged about by the carers and denied food and water for long periods of time, either due to neglect or dismissive care.

Kelly was understandably outraged by what she saw, and so were the police, who took swift action to arrest all those captured on the video footage. Three different caregivers were charged with neglect and abuse and sentenced to suspended jail terms and community hours. 

Kelly Lewis is pleased that action was taken, but disappointed in the sentences the women received, especially since they were caught on camera.

"The difference in mum is amazing. She is so happy, always smiling and laughing. But it’s worrying to think if it were not for our CCTV she could still be suffering,” Kelly said to The Mirror. 

In the end, the home care center was shut down, and Kelly moved her mother Joy to a different home where she is receiving the care she deserves.

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