A family who say they were not told when police were deployed to help control their 79-year-old mother in a Sydney dementia unit are calling for a change to make it mandatory for family to be notified about the use of law enforcement.
On 4 June 2020, paramedics attempted to subdue an agitated Norma Robertson, who had only been in the care of the dementia unit at HammondCare in a Sydney suburb for about four weeks.
Paramedics called the police due to Robertson’s behaviour, but Robertson’s daughter Kirsty McGregor said she and her family were not notified at any point about the incident involving her mother, then aged 79.
“The police didn’t call me, the paramedics didn’t call me, the hospital didn’t call me, the aged care facility didn’t call me,” she said.
McGregor only found out about the incident the next day, when she was told her mother was back in the care facility. She visited to find her mother’s arms and legs covered in bruises, the cause of which was unknown to her.
“After that incident, going into hospital, she pretty much didn’t sleep for months,” she said.
Police said they were called following reports that a “then 79-year-old woman was acting aggressively towards staff”.
“On arrival, officers were told the woman had suffered bruising to her arms after she was allegedly banging walls at the facility,” a spokesperson said. “NSW Ambulance paramedics also attended before the woman was taken to Hornsby hospital for assessment.”
McGregor disputed that all the bruises were from banging walls, saying some appeared to show finger marks.
She said she is not blaming police or care staff for the bruising or for calling emergency services. But she said the incident involving her mother, the use of a Taser on 95-year-old Clare Nowland in Cooma and the handcuffing of 81-year-old Rachel Grahame at a Sydney aged care home, has convinced her that reform is needed.
She said police should only be deployed as an absolute last resort and only in consultation with and notification to the family. Training for police on how to respond to complex and difficult situations involving dementia sufferers is also critical, she said.
“I’m not even saying that police should never be called, because I also feel for care staff,” she said. “But why aren’t the family being called first, that’s nuts.
“Why aren’t they immediately calling next of kin when it’s a dementia patient who is like a four-year-old. They look like an adult, but they’re not any more. They don’t have the capacity to speak for themselves or process what’s happening.
“Next of kin should have to be called so that they can be there if possible, that should be an essential service.”
HammondCare’s general manager for residential care and dementia, Angela Raguz, said the company was saddened by the circumstances of the incident.
“HammondCare is saddened by the circumstances that led to a resident who was experiencing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia to be transferred to Hornsby hospital in June 2020,” she said.
“We would invite the resident’s family to discuss the details of her care and any concerns with us at any time convenient for them.”
She said the company was not able to comment on details of a resident’s care without approval, but said staff “call for paramedic support via 000 as a last resort when residents are at risk of self-harm or harming other residents”.
“Paramedics, not HammondCare, decide whether police need to be at the scene.
“As she was a resident with HammondCare three years ago, the resident’s full case notes are in archival storage and not immediately available. It is not clear when family were notified. Her GP was notified shortly after her admission to Hornsby hospital.”
Stephen Macfarlane, associate professor of psychiatry at Monash University and head of clinical Services at Dementia Support Australia, said the proper training of aged care staff in dementia would help them to de-escalate situations without calling police.
He said that training, through no fault of staff themselves, was not currently being provided. That left police, also without specific training on dealing with dementia, in difficult situations.
“They don’t have the background about the person,” he told the ABC. “They often don’t have much background about the specific situation. So I’ve got great sympathy for police when they’re put in that situation. But as I say, if they’re going to be put in that situation with any frequency, they probably need specific training on how to de-escalate issues in relation to dementia.”
Rowland remains in hospital on Monday receiving end-of-life care following the use of a Taser on Wednesday morning. Local priest Mark Croker said he visited her on Sunday and performed a bedside mass, telling the Guardian she was in a heavy sleep and was comfortable.
“At the same time, I think she knows that family are around her and one of them said in the last couple of days she took one of the family members’ hand and just kissed them on the hand,” Croker said. “A couple of times she has squeezed the hand of one of the family members. She is comfortable anyway, that is the main point.”
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said it was right for the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission to be overseeing the investigation into the incident which he labeled “very troubling”.
“It’s really important to have confidence in the investigation taking place,” he said on Monday morning.
