R.I.P. Clare Nowland
We were devastated to learn that Mrs. Clare Nowland, a 95-year old lady living in a residential facility in Cooma Australia, died this week in the Cooma hospital, after being tasered by a police officer a short time after the officer in question was charged.
We wish to acknowledge her passing and send our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
We know that their hearts will be broken.
DAI also extends our condolences and thoughts to the wider community of people living with dementia in Australia and globally, and those care partners or family and friends supporting them, including members of Dementia Alliance International, as this type of travesty affects us all deeply.
Those of us living with dementia face the grim reality that we too may end up in an aged care facility, and therefore may be assaulted and violated in this way. It is a lot to take in, and even more difficult to accept that anyone with dementia could actually be treated in this way.
That a frail, 95-year old whose mobility required that she used a walking frame was tasered, is truly incomprehensible. That the staff even called the police is also incomprehensible.
It highlights the systemic issues people living in residential care in Australia face, that were also highlighted by 20 formal enquiries, and a Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care. It highlights not only the lack of education of healthcare professionals and aged care staff, but of the police, and of ambulance officers not only on dementia, but a total lack of education on how to deescalate a situation without restraint or force, such as being tasered.
DAI recognises the events of the last week, and other emerging experiences or restrictive practices highlighted so often in the media, may have impacted you and your families as well. That people living with dementia and those in aged care could be subjected to this type of assault, is truly incomprehensible.
If you need support, please come along to our Monday support group, or our next Café Le Brain which will be held across multiple time zones as follows:
🌍 Tuesday, May 30, 2023 (USA/CA/UK/EU):
1:00 pm Pacific
2:00 pm Mountain
3:00 pm Central
4:00 pm Eastern
9:00 pm London/Glasgow/Dublin UK
10:00 pm Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, EU
🌏 Wednesday, May 31, 2023 (AU/NZ/ASIA):
4:00 am Perth, AU/Brunei/Singapore
5:30 am Adelaide, AU
6:00 am Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra/Tasmania/Brisbane, AU
8:00 pm Auckland, NZ
If you are not already a member of DAI, you can sign up here. For any questions, please contact [email protected].
You can also contact one of the following organisations:
Dementia Australia: 1800 100 500
Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN): 1800 700 600
Dementia Support Australia: 1800 699 799
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Please stay safe and reach out if we can support you.