12-11-2023 (SINGAPORE) A foreign domestic worker was found guilty on Friday of assaulting an 86-year-old woman suffering from dementia and was subsequently sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment. The incident, which took place in Sengkang, has raised concerns about the mistreatment of vulnerable individuals in caregiving settings.
The victim’s son, a 56-year-old bank employee surnamed Xue, became suspicious when a doctor at Sengkang General Hospital informed him last month that his mother had sustained a fracture in her left thigh. This was not the first time his mother had been found with unexplained injuries, according to Xue’s interview with Shin Min Daily News.
Xue’s mother, who had been bedridden since suffering a stroke in February of last year, required the assistance of a caregiver. Xue hired Oo Win Kyi, a 32-year-old foreign domestic worker from Myanmar, to care for his mother and handle household chores.
Over the course of several months, Xue noticed injuries on his mother’s fingers and face. When questioned, Oo claimed that the elderly woman had inflicted the injuries upon herself. Xue’s family members sought medical attention for the victim, but were told on two occasions that bruising is common among elderly individuals with mobility issues.
On October 19, Xue noticed severe swelling in his mother’s left leg. When he confronted Oo, she once again attributed the injury to a fall. Suspicious of the explanation, Xue took his mother to Sengkang General Hospital, where a doctor revealed that she had suffered a fractured thigh. Shocked by the diagnosis, Xue reviewed the CCTV footage from his mother’s room and discovered evidence of prolonged abuse. He immediately contacted the police.
The elderly woman remains hospitalized, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. Investigations revealed that on the afternoon of October 19, Oo had assisted the victim in standing up for exercise. However, she subsequently punched the elderly woman four times on the left side of her face, causing her to fall to the ground. Oo had also bitten the victim’s hand and struck her with an abs roller on October 17.
During the trial, Oo pleaded guilty to one charge of assaulting a vulnerable person. District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan emphasized the importance of condemning acts of violence against vulnerable victims, particularly when committed by those entrusted with their care. He acknowledged that as a bedridden elderly woman with dementia, the victim may not fully comprehend or be able to articulate the abuse she endured.
