Rest home workers in US fired after taunting elderly dementia patient

Both staff members were fired after the incident.
Both staff members were fired after the incident. Photo credit: Getty

Two workers at a rest home in the US have been fired after taunting an elderly woman with dementia. 

The pair filmed themselves teasing the 91-year-old woman and posted the footage to Snapchat, according to ABC7 Chicago news. 

Brayan Cortez and Jamie Montesa were charged with the misdemeanor of disorderly conduct following the incident. 

The video, which had the caption "Margaret hates gowns", shows Margaret Collins lying in bed while the two care home employees waved a hospital gown in her face. 

Collins can be seen flailing her arms and attempting to push the gown away. 

Her family is now taking legal action, seeking more than US$1 million (NZ$1.5 million) in damages from the nursing home, The Abington, in Glenview, Illinois. 

"You're just like, this is somebody's sick idea of entertainment?" Collins' daughter Joan Biebel told ABC7 Chicago.

In a statement, the nursing home said the two staff were fired following the incident.

"The privacy and dignity of our residents are of the utmost concern at the Abington. Recently, two employees were immediately terminated when it was determined that they violated our standards and policies."

Collins is no longer staying at the nursing home, but her family said the incident, which took place in December, had left her with anxiety.

In a report, Illinois' Department of Public Health found that the Abington had failed to implement its own abuse prevention policy.

Newshub.