A CARER was filmed spraying perfume in a dementia patient’s mouth after the gran’s family installed a hidden camera, a court heard yesterday.
Susan Draper, 43, laughed while covering 78-year-old Betty Boylan with Impulse body spray and then said: “It’s better than poo.”
Draper, of Birmingham, denied ill treatment in a position of care but was convicted after a seven-minute clip was played to magistrates.
Betty’s family put a camera in her Bupa care home in September after finding bruises on her.
Prosecutor Shawn Williams said the carer sprayed the contents of an aerosol can from about a foot away from Betty.
He added: “She is spraying in her face and the response from Betty is ‘stop it’.
“Betty gurgles and coughs but she is not able to move out of the way herself.
“She is not able to express herself in a way to register she wants it to stop.”
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6Mr Williams said a colleague says the spray had gone in her mouth too. He added: “The defendant laughs and says: ‘It’s better than poo’.
“This was an indication of a lack of care because she (Betty) had not been changed or even checked.”
Mr Williams added: “The family leave body spray because it is a nice thing for her to have, but it is not a nice thing to use simply to mask if she hasn’t been checked properly.
“There appears to be no checking to see if there had been a bowel movement.”
The clip showed Draper and a colleague using a hoist to move the gran from her bed to a chair.
Mr Williams said the harness was inappropriately attached and could have been uncomfortable.
After adjusting it, Draper says: “Is that better Betty Boo Boo?”
Draper was fired from Perry Locks Care Home, Birmingham, after the incident.
She worked there for 17 years. She told the city’s magistrates court: “I just wanted her to smell and look nice and presentable. I did not hurt Betty, I love her so much.
“I am not evil. I didn’t appeal against my sacking because I had just had enough. I wouldn’t say I was ashamed, I was shocked when I saw the CCTV footage.”
Chairman of the bench Frank Fletcher said: “The care was inadequate and amounts to ill treatment.”
Draper will be sentenced on July 24. The offence has a maximum sentence of five years’ jail.
Vivienne Birch, Director of Quality for Bupa Care Services, said: “This behaviour is totally unacceptable.
"We immediately suspended her in September 2016 and shortly afterwards she was formally dismissed.
"We were shocked and saddened by the footage.
“We’re deeply sorry this happened and for the distress it has caused Mrs Boylan’s family. We're proud of the care our staff provide and do not tolerate behaviour like this at any of our homes.”
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