Indian-origin care worker arrested for allegedly assaulting elderly in Canada

Toronto, Feb 9

A 32-year-old Indian-origin personal support worker has been arrested for allegedly assaulting an 89-year-old elderly at a care home in Canada's Ontario province.

Suman Soni, 32, has been charged with two counts of assault that occurred on January 29 and February 2, the York Regional Police said on Thursday.

Police said they were contacted on February 2 in connection with elder abuse incidents that occurred at a care home in Vaughan, a city located in the regional municipality of York, Ontario.

"Through investigation, police learned an 89-year-old male resident was assaulted by a PSW (personal support worker) on two occasions, January 29 and February 2, 2024," a release by the York Regional Police said.

"Investigators believe there are more victims and are releasing photos of the accused, asking that any other victims please come forward," it added.

Asking anyone with information to contact them, the York police said that the probe into the case will continue.

In November last year, a 49-year-old employee at a care facility in Alberta was arrested and charged with physically assaulting an 87-year-old.

As per the 2021 census, the number of Canadians over 85 years of age has more than doubled over the last two decades.

The abuse of older people has increased since the pandemic with a 2022 World Health Organisation study saying that one in six people -- 60 years and above --experienced some form of abuse in community settings in the past year.

The number of people in this age bracket is expected to grow by 38 per cent from 1 billion to 1.4 billion between 2019 and 2030, according to the UN.

The WHO report pointed out that the rates of abuse of elders are higher in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with two in three staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.