The Vulnerable Elderly Who are at the Mercy of Care Home Sadists
Dear HumanDHS Friends!
Comment : Dr. Lynch: From Article:
“Finally, I could take it no more. One Sunday morning, just after breakfast and another routine humiliation for Maud - this time about her wanting another spread of jam on her toast - I confronted Annette about her behaviour.”
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The vulnerable elderly who are at the mercy of care home sadists
By Sonia Poulton
Last updated at 11:44 PM on 08th August 2008
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SONIA POULTON
A while ago, I decided to pursue a life-long ambition and took a break from journalism to study psychology. I have always been fascinated by human behaviour - and the underlying thought processes that drive it - and I yearned for an academic understanding.
Three years later, having studied the full span of human development, I was particularly drawn to the psychology of people in the later stages of life. Seeking more practical knowledge, I applied for a job as a carer in a residential home for the elderly.
When I was asked to go in for a job interview, I was thrilled. The role would enable me to put some of my academic learning into practice. In fact, what I witnessed during the following six months still haunts me. Residents were bullied and treated with contempt. Their physical and mental frailties were cruelly mocked and some were singled-out for particularly demeaning treatment.
The notion that I, too, may end my days in a residential care home is terrifying. By 2030, it is estimated that almost one in ten of the elderly population will live in a residential care home. It is a bleak prospect.