A CARE home worker swore at elderly dementia patients, pushed them roughly and pressed a resident's legs down so hard that she yelped in pain, a court heard.

Pamela Wolfendale, a senior care assistant, mistreated six women who lived at the Mill View nursing home on Bridgeman Street, Bolton, a jury at Bolton Crown Court was told.

Jonathan Dickinson, prosecuting, said 54-year-old Wolfendale was aggressive with residents at Albion House, the unit at the Bupa run care home which houses elderly and vulnerable men and women who who are mentally infirm.

When one patient, who was incontinent, soiled herself in the living room at the home angry Wolfendale was said to have called her a "dirty bastard."

"When this had happened the defendant frogmarched her into the showers, pushed her forcefully into a shower chair so she landed with a thud and called her a dirty bitch," said Mr Dickinson.

Michael Southern, a care assistant at Mill View, witnessed the incident and told the court the resident, in her 60s, had looked shocked

He added that there were other occasions Wolfendale had mistreated the residents.

"She could be very aggressive with some residents," he said. "She was foul mouthed sometimes, swearing and calling them all sorts."

He added that he had questioned Wolfendale's attitude.

'I was always speaking to Pam about her behaviour to residents but I just got, "I'm in charge,"' he said.

He revealed how Wolfendale also forced down the legs of a bed-ridden resident, in her 70s, who was lying in the foetal position, in order to change an incontinence pad.

"She put her on her back and forced down her knees with her hands — she wouldn't ease them down," he said.

He added that he saw repeated incidents involving Wolfendale when he worked at the unit.

"Almost all the time I was on the unit there was something aggressive going on." he said.

Wolfendale, of St Helens Road, Bolton, denies seven counts of ill treatment or neglect of a person who lacks capacity.

In total she is said to have badly treated six elderly women, pushing some roughly when they got in her way, causing them to stumble and verbally abusing residents.

One one occasion she is said to have dragged a woman out of her chair so forcefully because she wanted her to go to bed that the resident spilled the cup of tea she was holding.

And another time she insisted a resident get out of bed at 5am, wrestling her into her clothes and shouting: "Don't mess with me - you're messing with the wrong person."

When her behaviour was reported to the police in November 2013 she denied the allegations describing them as "poppycock."

The case continues.