Another Suspected Sexual Assault in Home Care

In Uppsala, a person employed in home care has been dismissed after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Despite investigating the case, the municipality does not wish to reveal any further details.

It was in December that an elderly person told a home care assistant that an employee had been “unpleasant,” “sleazy,” and “too intimate.” According to the lex Sarah report, he is alleged to have, among other things, thrust against the elderly person and touched their intimate body parts. This made the elderly person “very anxious and felt uncomfortable” and did not want the man to return.

According to Uppsala municipality’s home care chief, Rasmus Sundström, an immediate investigation was launched in which informants, colleagues, and anyone who might have knowledge were interviewed, and documentation and logs were reviewed. Other elderly individuals for whom the man had performed home care were also reportedly spoken to.

While the investigation was ongoing, the man was suspended, and after it was concluded, he was dismissed. However, the results and conclusions of the investigation were not disclosed, citing confidentiality. The findings will also not be sent to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo), meaning the matter is not considered a serious misconduct.

“It is not possible to give a straight answer. We have made a comprehensive assessment. There can be several reasons why a lex Sarah report cannot be substantiated: information can be difficult to prove, may change during the course of the investigation, or there may, for example, be cognitive impairment in the elderly person,” says Ramus Sundström to Upsala Nya Tidning.

400 Police Reports

Regarding the dismissal, Sundström says that it does not have to be about a single event but could be an overall impression that the person, for example, did not have the required attitude or did not follow procedures. No police report has been filed in this case.

Since 2021 alone, nearly 400 police reports have been made of rapes against elderly women, with the alleged perpetrators most often being employees in home care. At the same time, criminologist Anders Östlund fears that the actual number is “gigantic.”