Three care workers from Scotland are set to face trial accused of ill-treatment and willful neglect for allegedly escorting two residents to a male strip club in the coastal city of Dundee Scotland just before Christmas in 2018.
Authorities believe that carers Caitlin Gibb, Shannon Briggs, and Samantha Brunton were under the influence of alcohol when they attended the Linlathen Neurological Care Centre and took two female residents with them to the adult entertainment venue.
The Linlathen Neurological Care Centre which was slated for closure last year was home to 33 residents living with long-term brain injuries or complex neurological conditions like Huntington’s Disease.
At least one of the residents involved was believed to be living with an intellectual disability, and it is not yet clear whether the idea for this trip was for the resident’s benefit or for the amusement of the carers involved.
It is alleged that the carers allowed both residents to consume alcohol without supervision while attending the strip show and they even permitted a naked male entertainer to sit in one of the resident’s knees while she was in her wheelchair.
The carers admitted to attending the male strip show and taking the residents with them but they denied claims that there was any alcohol involved and they also said that the residents were not in their care at the time and that the trip was voluntary.
The Linlathen Neurological Care Centre was the subject of two reports that called the quality of care into question in 2017, and the owners announced that it would be moving its residents to a new home because the setting was not compatible with providing high-quality care.
The trio did not appear in court and plead not guilty to the charge of neglect through their solicitors at the Dundee Sherrif Court earlier this week.
Their trial is set to begin on June 5th.
Photo credit istock: Rawpixel
Under the new standards for aged care residents here in Australia, if a resident wants to go to a strip club, we really have no authority to prevent them as it is all about resident choice. Surely, if the residents were willing participants, these care workers should be commended for facilitating a request by their clients? The reprimand here should be for the consumption of alcohol while on duty, not assisting residents to undertake an activity they requested, if they did indeed make this request.
An interesting article above about the three care workers who allegedly escorted two residents to a male strip club. Begs the question about sexuality in dementia. I’m wondering what on earth is wrong with taking residents of aged care facilities to strip clubs. Or indeed, giving them alcohol. I would hope that I could do both when I had dementia, or lived in care. I was hoping for more from the article.