Director responds after degrading facts in retirement home: « This is hard to understand, everyone knew those boys as good and caring employees » (Oudenaarde)
On Tuesday the news came out that three men and a woman – between 18 and 21 years old – were arrested for degrading facts in the Meerspoort residential care center in Oudenaarde. The four would have beaten, spit and robbed residents. They also filmed their actions. The public prosecutor opened an investigation. All four suspects were brought before the investigating judge and were arrested for theft, degrading treatment and voyeurism.
Emotionally heavy
Seven employees still called on Tuesday evening the family members of all residents, to explain to them about the situation and to answer their questions. « This has a huge impact, we hope that strict action will take place against the perpetrators, » says Mayor John Adam (Open Vld). The family members of all 110 residents were called. From fourteen residents the family did not initially record, a voicemail was recorded there.
On Wednesday morning, those fourteen people were called again and they also got an explanation about what had happened. « The people are grateful that they received information directly, » said Mayor Adam. « They are understanding and the phones were almost always received positively. It is also emotionally difficult for them to hear such news. 70 employees came here on Tuesday evening and received a briefing at 8 pm. »
Many questions and disbelief
The mayor also stays with many questions after Tuesday's events. « Today we still have no more info than the press release from the public prosecutor, » says Adam. « We don't know who the victims are, how many there are and who the other two people are. » The investigation has only been opened and so it is now mainly trying to identify the victims. For this, an appeal is made to employees of the residential care center.
« We notice that there is a lot of disbelief among the residents, » responds Geert Leliaert, director of the WZC. « Of course they also know the people involved. They know those boys (the perpetrators, ed.) In a very different way than we have seen now. But that is also true for us. We always experienced them as good employees who are caring for our residents. That we are now confronted with this, causes a lot of disbelief and sorrow with us all. »
Geert Leliaert, director of Woonzorgcentrum Meerspoort. – © PMA
Further steps
« I talked to our staff yesterday, » Leliaert continues. They too were always very positive about those guys. That they do something like that is very difficult for us to understand. The family members of the residents involved are of course very concerned, but most are also compassionate with us and the situation. Such behavior does not belong to us here. We are now looking at how to proceed. «
Roland Waelkens (87) often comes to the Woonzorcentrum, because his wife is staying there. « Two weeks ago I heard that it was picked here, but that even worse things have happened, I didn't know at all, » said Waelkens. « That should not happen. I think this is a very good retirement home and my wife likes to live here. So we didn't expect this at all. I certainly don't have complaints about the retirement home. I am sure they do everything so that such things will no longer happen. »
