Elderly man with dementia asked if he has ‘gay tendencies’ in video of care home abuse

A woman has been questioned by police after shocking footage revealed a 77-year-old man with dementia being emotionally abused inside a care home.

In the clip, filmed at the Cathedral Nursing Home, in Lincoln, the pensioner is asked if he has ‘gay tendencies’ and told that his walking stick will be taken away by ‘Jeremy Corbyn’.

He was also accused of making ‘sexual advances’ towards a woman, called a liar when the denies the allegations and asked if he wants to put in a ‘frilly dress’.

The man was also forced to hold a sex toy and told he would be ‘castrated’ in the video which was leaked to Lincolnshire Live.

The clip, which is believed to have been filmed in May last year, led Lincolnshire County Council’s safeguarding teams to step in to ensure the safety of residents.

Lincolnshire Police and the Care Quality Commission are now investigating the alleged abuse at the

Mum-of-two Tina Bardsley, 48, who manages the care home, is believed to be the worker who filmed the man and has since been interviewed by police voluntarily.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: ‘A woman attended a voluntary police interview earlier last week.

‘No one has been arrested and our investigation is ongoing.’

A CQC inspection into the home in February 2018 found that the service at the care home was ‘inadequate’ after it had been taken over by a new registered provider Hayworth Care Limited.

An inspection carried out in 2017 under the previous provider found that the service was ‘good.’

The service was placed under special measures after the care home was found to have five regulation breaches, with the service also recorded as ‘unsafe and uncaring’.

The inspection report said: ‘People were not always treated with dignity and respect.

‘In the main lounge and dining area we observed that another person with a diagnosed chest infection had slipped down in their armchair and was choking on their phlegm.

‘The person did not have a paper tissue or a receptacle to cough into and was coughing up mucus onto their clothes.

‘This was in full view of other people sitting in this area. Nursing and care staff were in the vicinity but did not respond to their distress or attempt to maintain their dignity.

‘Staff did not attempt to engage with people on a level that people understood. We observed staff talk down to people in a childlike manner and raised voice.’

Marie Betts, Alzheimer’s Society services manager for Lincolnshire, told Lincolnshire Live that people living with dementia are among the most vulnerable in society.

She said: ‘Any abuse like this is completely abhorrent and unacceptable.

‘Seventy per cent of people in care homes are living with dementia, and they should be able to do so without fear, safe in the knowledge they will be well looked after.

‘We know that most staff care deeply about the people they support, but good care homes are undermined when people are abused.

‘Health and social care professionals should have all the tools and support required to provide high-quality, person-centred care to people with dementia that maintains their dignity and quality of life.’