Owner Of Old Folks Home Denies Abuse Claims, But Former Employees Say They're True
"The video that went viral was recorded while one of my workers was playing with one of the senior citizens."
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 19 Jun 2019, 12:41 PM
On 17 June, a netizen took to Facebook alleging that the caretakers of an old folks home in Seremban had been abusing the elderly residents
Along with a video of a staff member taunting an elderly woman repeatedly, the Facebook user claimed that the residents of the private home have been hit, starved, forced to drink urine, and forced to take excessive amounts of sleeping pills.
The private home has since been revealed to be Pusat Jagaan Warga Emas dan Terapi Fitrah in Taman Seremban 3, New Straits Times reported.
Soon after police began conducting investigations into the nursing home, its owner Azrin Shala denied all allegations.
"The video that went viral was recorded while one of my workers was playing with one of the senior citizens," he said.
While he admitted that the video was taken at the centre, he told reporters on 18 June that the residents were never abused and that his employees followed procedures.
"Why am I being accused as such? I’m not afraid of the allegation, because I know Allah knows everything," he said, adding that the claims are mere slander made on purpose by certain parties.
"I do not want to humiliate anyone and hope this can be resolved. There's no use to blow this out of proportion when our priority is the welfare of the senior citizens here," Azrin said, according to Harian Metro.
However, former employees of the nursing home have since claimed that the video is a true depiction of the treatment received by the residents for about three years
Four former caretakers, aged between 22 and 26 years old, claimed that they have witnessed a number of the acts alleged - that the elderly residents being forced to drink urine, eat chillies, and be given more than the required dosage of sleeping pills, The Star reported.
A former employee by the name of Faizal confirmed that the residents were physically abused and deprived of food if they "caused problems"
At a press conference on 19 June, he revealed that this further traumatised the elderly residents.
"Some residents had complained to their children," he told reporters.