The idea of retirement homes isn’t terrible in itself. A peaceful place where our elderly, the men and women who have built our country with their bare hands, can get some extra help in everyday life – the kind of care we may not be in the best position to provide them anymore.
But tragically, the concept isn’t always as nice in practice. There are people who make use of their power or authority and abuse people who can’t even defend themselves – notably the elderly we love so much.
This example, which occurred at a nursing home in Texas, is probably among the worst I’ve ever seen.
Minnie Graham had lived a long and happy life. But like so many others, she came to a point when she could not stay home alone anymore – so her family helped her settle into a nursing home.
She had a big family with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Everyone cared very much about Minnie and often visited her at the nursing home.
Soon the family began to notice how Minnie increasingly complained about the staff. She claimed she was treated badly and even beaten. And indeed, she had bruises on her face and body.
The manager justified the bruises by telling them that Minnie had fallen out of her wheelchair.
The family did not know what to believe. They needed more evidence – they still hoped the nurses were well-meaning and that Minnie’s accusations couldn’t be true.
So they decided to take the case in their own hands. They installed a hidden camera in Minnie’s room. That way, they could see with their own eyes how the nurses took care of her.
But nothing could have been prepared them for what was going to be captured on camera.
They watched as two nurses hit and kicked Minnie, who lay screaming in pain. They pushed her out of her wheelchair with full force. After washing Minnie’s body, they pushed the used cloth into the 98-year-old’s mouth.
The cruel humans – if you can even call them that – went on to beat the defenceless senior.
The shocked family immediately filed a police report. The nurses were fired from the retirement home – but sickly enough, they both could retain their certificates so that they could potentially work at other nursing homes.
It is just horrendous that this could happen, I can’t even imagine how crushed I would be if someone had done this to my mother.
Watch a news report about the event below. Warning: includes strong images.
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/1KSn-G1VwQA” /]
While this story is both horrifying and tragic, hopefully it can raise awareness of how our elderly are sometimes treated.
Now I think we help to share on, to pay attention to the situation and to put foot down once and for all. So much more can be done to make our elderly have a good last time in life!
