A horrific incident has come to light in Ottawa, Canada, where an 89-year-old man suffering from dementia was physically abused and punched by a nursing home worker. A CCTV Video showcases the elderly man being manhandled by the nurse at the long-term nursing home where the victim is a resident. This case once again brings to the foreground the lack of genuine care that these suffering elderly people need.
Video captures male nurse beating up vulnerable dementia patient
The shocking footage shows the nurse, identified as 44-year old Jie Xiao, throwing around the patient, Georges Karam, and then punching him 11 times in the face.
The victim suffers from advanced dementia, he cannot speak and is confined to a wheelchair, according to CBS News.
The video has spread across the world and on 8 July it even showed up on a Morrocan news site, the Morroco World News. The footage shows Karam flailing his hands in order to defend himself against the blows, but he is unable to stop the brutal attack. The hidden camera recorded the incident in March after it was put in by Karam’s grandson, Daniel Nasrallah.
Nasrallah stated that the camera was installed after he and his family discovered minor bruises and cuts on Karam. They tried to find out how those bruises got there and when they received no answer from the nursing home authorities, they formally obtained a permit to install the discreet camera into the patient’s room.
The hospital staff and authorities were also informed that the camera was set up inside the room.
On the day of the attack, Nasrallah and his wife were watching the video recording and were shocked to see the blatant physical abuse of a man who is incapable of defending himself. The grandson said that he was amazed at Xiao who abused Karam even when he knew that the camera would record each of his actions.
Nasrallah contacted the police and along with his brothers, he rushed to the nursing home. They encountered Xiao in the hallways and escorted him to the police officials, who had already arrived at the scene. Nasrallah then showed the footage of the abuse to the police, after which Xiao was promptly arrested.
Accused nurse pleads guilty
On June 27, Xiao pleaded guilty to one count of assault and his sentencing hearing will take place sometime later this year. He is currently out on bail and has been fired from his post at the Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home. This case comes at a time when there is rising concern regarding the safety of long-term residents. In June, former Ottawan nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer confessed to having murdered eight long-term patients by injecting them with lethal doses of insulin.
