Employee admits to recording ‘humiliating’ videos of residents at nursing home
By Reg Chapman
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DULUTH, Minnesota (WCCO) — A nursing home employee admitted to recording humiliating videos of residents and posting them on social media.
It started with a call to authorities by a former employee at the Bayshore Residence and Rehabilitation center. That whistleblower says a current worker posted inappropriate video and pictures of residents on social media.
The tip says the images of four residents, all with physical, communicative, and cognitive impairments, were upsetting and seemed to be getting worse in nature.
The Minnesota Department of Health investigated the abuse allegations.
One incident alleges the worker removed the shoes of one resident and threw it into his bare chest and face.
The complaint said the employee also took revealing photos of three other vulnerable residents either partially nude or posing with pornographic images.
“It’s just inhumane and it shows a lack of connection with basic human life,” said Suzanne Scheller.
Scheller specializes in elder abuse and neglect litigation.
“It’s really two-fold,” Scheller said. “There its one related to the physical abuse and then it takes it to another level to make fun and add light to the physical abuse in social media.”
Bayshore leadership said the employee was immediately terminated and law enforcement was contacted when they were made aware of the videos and photos.
The state says that employee admitted to the mistreatment.
Scheller says families can protect their loved ones by staying in contact with the facility and knowing Minnesota is one of the few states with a law where cameras can help.
“We developed a law in Minnesota, an electronic monitoring law, which says the family and the resident can place a camera in their living quarters so that they can try and stay on top of these things and see what’s going on,” Scheller said.
WCCO reached out to Bayshore for comment and did not hear back from them.
The Minnesota Department of Health has information on steps to take when you think a loved one maybe suffering abuse in a long-term care facility.
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