Witness testimonies began Tuesday in the trial concerning the deaths of 32 elderly residents at the Agia Skepi nursing home in Hania, Crete, in 2020.
Six defendants, including the nursing home owner and her daughter, two doctors, and two staff members face felony charges related to these deaths. They are accused not only of causing the deaths of the residents but also of subjecting others to inhumane living conditions.
Maria Papadaki testified about the rapid decline of her father, who passed away just three days after being admitted to the nursing home. According to Papadaki, her father’s health deteriorated soon after his admission.
Papadaki explained that she had found the nursing home online and decided to admit her father, who suffered from dementia, in June 2020 while arranging for home care. However, her first attempt to visit him the day after his admission was thwarted by the owner, who claimed he was asleep.
“My father was nothing like he was when I left him. He was in a wheelchair, barely responsive, with glassy eyes and unable to speak. Shortly after, I noticed that he was tied around his waist,” Papadaki testified.
Concerned by her father’s condition, Papadaki demanded to see him more closely. “I saw that, apart from being tied at the waist, he had bruises around his arms that resembled restraint marks. I realized he had been tied by both arms to something stable,” she added.
When Papadaki confronted the owner about her father’s condition and insisted on taking him to the hospital, the owner tried to dissuade her, claiming there was no cause for concern. However, when the ambulance arrived, medics discovered the elderly man had a high fever and dangerously low oxygen saturation at approximately 85%.
At the hospital, Papadaki’s father was diagnosed with a lower respiratory tract infection. “When we arrived at the emergency room, the doctors said to me, ‘You brought him to us now? Your father is dying!’” she recounted.
Papadaki’s testimony is set to continue on Wednesday.