Police officers being called to nursing homes is "more common" than the NSW police commissioner realises, an aged care expert says.
As the family of 95-year-old Clare Nowland maintains a bedside vigil, questions are being asked about why police were called to her nursing home at all.
Ms Nowland remains in a critical condition at Cooma Base Hospital after being tasered by a police officer, who was called to Yallambee Lodge residential aged care home on Wednesday because the great-grandmother was seen carrying a knife.
At a press conference on Saturday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it wasn't common practice for police to attend a nursing home to help staff with their residents.
"In my experience, it's quite rare that we would be called to a nursing home," Commissioner Webb said.
"It's not something we come across regularly."
However, the former chief executive of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association and now an independent aged care consultant, Paul Sadler, said calling police was "standard protocol" for staff when there was a reported assault.
"It's more common than perhaps the police commissioner was aware of," Mr Sadler said.
"We frequently call in [police] to investigate cases of physical assaults and sexual abuse when they occur in the aged care home.
"That's usual protocol where there's an instance of a reported assault."
Police are reviewing body-camera footage of the incident, which they have described as "confronting".
They say it shows Ms Nowland "advancing" towards officers slowly using her walking frame and carrying a knife before she was tasered.
Commissioner Webb said she would consider implementing more specialised training for officers being called to aged care facilities.
"If, in the fullness of this investigation and any other matter, we come to learn that we need to better equip our officers to deal with dementia patients, then we will do so."
Prayers for Clare
Ms Nowland remains in the thoughts of the Cooma community, who will be praying for her recovery at her local church service on Sunday morning.
She is well-known to the town in the Snowy Mountains region, and was quite involved at St Patrick's Catholic Church prior to her moving to Yallambee Lodge five years ago.
Father Mark Croker knew Ms Nowland for about three months, and saw her and one of her daughters a week before the incident.
“For a lady in her late years, she was still delighted to see visitors and her faith was precious to her," Father Croker said.
Despite her dementia, she was "very sprightly" and took great interest in church business.
"There was always the church bulletin taken to her at the nursing home," he said.
"She was up-to-date with who was sick and who was doing whatever else. She was renowned too, as one of her late habits, of being an avid knitter."
Father Croker decided to remain in Cooma for the mass service, even though he was booked to be in nearby Bombala.
He expects that due to the "trauma for everyone involved", the local church could see more parishioners than usual.
“As a member of our community that’s contributed so much for so long, we will recognise her in our prayers,” he said.
“Even if it’s in a simple way of mentioning her and to ask the community to be strong. We pray for Clare but indeed for the family.”
Another priest from Canberra will also be attending the service in support.
On Friday, Commissioner Webb spent time with Ms Nowland's family at her bedside.
She described the mother of eight children, who also has 24 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren, as a keen golfer and "very community-minded".
Commissioner Webb wouldn't confirm whether the officer involved in tasering her had been officially stood down, but said he was no longer in the office.
"The officer is being supported by his command and others. He is not coping in the workplace, so his welfare is being monitored," she said.
