😡 MEMORY-CARE WORKER ACCUSED OF RECORDING NAKED RESIDENTS AND SHARING THE VIDEOS WITH COWORKERS

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This story is disturbing as hell.

Families place loved ones in memory-care facilities because they've reached a point where they need more care, more protection and more supervision than their families can safely provide at home.

You are trusting strangers with somebody who may not be able to speak up for themselves.

And according to police, that trust was violated at a South Barrington memory-care facility in one of the most degrading ways imaginable.

A former employee of Encore Memory Care at South Barrington is accused of secretly recording vulnerable residents while they were naked and sharing videos with coworkers through Snapchat.

Madison Russo, 25, has pleaded NOT GUILTY. She faces 20 charges, including felony counts involving unlawful recording and dissemination of intimate videos.

💔 ONE OF THE RESIDENTS COULDN'T EVEN SPEAK UP FOR HIMSELF

One of the alleged victims was Bernard “Skip” Fisher, a 73-year-old retired insurance salesman who had Parkinson's disease.

His condition had progressed to the point that he was nonverbal and completely dependent upon others for his care.

Police allege Fisher was recorded while naked in his bed.

Two other residents were allegedly recorded in extremely private situations, including one in a shower and another while using a toilet.

And THAT is what makes this especially sickening.

These weren't people walking through a public place where somebody happened to catch them in the background of a video.

These were vulnerable residents inside a facility where they were supposed to be SAFE.

📱 POLICE SAY THE VIDEOS WENT INTO A SNAPCHAT GROUP

Investigators allege the videos were shared with other Encore employees through a Snapchat group reportedly called “Traitors and Besties.”

According to police, two employees eventually reported the alleged recordings to facility management. Police were subsequently contacted, and six employees were fired, including Russo.

Russo is the employee who has been criminally charged in the case.

And let's be clear:

Being in a group chat where somebody is allegedly sharing naked videos of elderly or vulnerable patients isn't entertainment.

These are HUMAN BEINGS.

Somebody's husband.

Somebody's wife.

Somebody's father.

Somebody's mother.

They deserve dignity whether they're 23, 53 or 93.

😢 SKIP'S WIFE FOUND OUT JUST DAYS BEFORE HE DIED

This part hurts.

Skip's wife, Kristen Fisher, says her husband had lived at Encore for nearly three years.

According to her attorneys, the facility learned about the alleged recordings in June, but Fisher's family wasn't notified until July.

Skip died only days after his wife learned what allegedly happened to him. 

So while grieving her husband, Kristen Fisher is now dealing with the thought that during the final months of his life, he may have understood that something humiliating was happening but couldn't verbally tell anybody.

His family's attorneys argue that his inability to communicate made him particularly vulnerable.

That is heartbreaking.

⚖️ THE FAMILY IS TAKING LEGAL ACTION

Fisher's family says it intends to pursue civil litigation involving the facility and former employees.

Their attorneys are also raising broader questions about supervision, accountability and whether additional residents may have been affected. Police have said the investigation is continuing.

Encore did not provide comments to several Chicago news organizations that contacted the facility about the allegations.

Russo, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty and is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Her next court appearance is scheduled for October 2. 

🚨 FAMILIES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS

There are thousands of good caregivers doing difficult, exhausting work every single day.

This story should not be used to paint every nursing-home or memory-care employee with the same brush.

But facilities caring for people who cannot always protect themselves have an enormous responsibility.

And families deserve answers about safeguards surrounding employees' personal phones, recording devices, social media and what happens when another worker witnesses inappropriate behavior.

Because when your loved one can no longer tell you:

“Something happened to me today.”

The people caring for them become their eyes, ears and voice.

That trust should be damn near sacred.

Kristen Fisher shouldn't have to spend the period after her husband's death wondering what happened to him when she wasn't there.

And no family should have to wonder whether somebody entrusted with bathing, dressing or caring for their vulnerable loved one is secretly pulling out a cellphone.

Protect our seniors. Protect people with disabilities. Protect people who cannot protect themselves.

They deserve dignity even when nobody thinks anybody else is watching.

IT HITS DIFFERENT. EVERY TIME. BOOM! 💥