In 2025, reports emerged of missed medications, hygiene deficiencies, and unanswered alarms at the Attendo Fridhemmet elderly care home in Malmö. Despite these alerts, problems continued, and it has now come to light that abuse and assaults have also occurred.

Last year, there was extensive criticism of the then operations manager, who left their position after media scrutiny and a protest letter from 26 employees. However, complaints persisted, and in the summer of 2025, the Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) received its first report.

Staff have witnessed a colleague behave “loudly and roughly” toward a resident who was coughing, while another staff member allegedly put a hand over an elderly person’s mouth when they sneezed.

The next report came in the autumn, this time concerning “an employee who, during evening routines, grabbed the client’s nose and both ears and twisted them,” an incident that was reported to the police but later dropped.

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The investigation describes a pressured work environment as well as certain staff who “do not treat clients with respect,” and “group conflicts that affect the overall atmosphere.”

After the second incident report, the affected work group was split, with the goal of bringing in staff with “more stable values.” However, little else changed.

Unacceptable

Regional manager Camilla Henneryd states that she is “confident that the care home is a safe place to live.”

Amela Durdevic is the unit manager for health, care, and welfare at the Malmö city administration, which is responsible for following up on those placed at Fridhemmet.

– Everything that has happened is unacceptable. Elderly people should be met with respect, treated nicely, and receive good care. This simply should not happen, she told Sydsvenskan.

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