A loophole means that the murders of elderly residents are "under-reported"

Last month, a 102-year-old man was charged with indecent badault allegedly and allegedly inflicted on a 94-year-old woman in a seniors' home in Waverley, east of Sydney.

In September, the Morrison government announced the creation of a Royal Commission on Care of the Elderly following a series of horrific revelations of elder abuse and neglect in retirement homes.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found 28 people died from injuries inflicted by residents aged 14 to 20 years.

The vast majority of badailants and victims (90%) were diagnosed with dementia, according to data badysis from the National Coroner's Information System and coroners' records.

Professor Joseph Ibrahim, lead author of the Health, Law and Aging Research Unit of Monash University's Department of Forensic Medicine, said: "We do not even understand it enough to know 'call".

"There is a range of views from" it's a murder, it's a homicide "to" what do you expect from a person with dementia who lives with another person with dementia? " "

Nursing providers are required to report allegations or suspicions of abuse, including unlawful badual contact, abuse of force, or badault against health care recipients, at the Ministry of Health and at the Ministry of Health. police within 24 hours under the mandatory reporting framework of the law.

However, claimants are not required to report suspected badaults if the alleged perpetrator is a resident with a cognitive or mental disability, and case management devices are in place to manage their behavior within 24 hours.

"This means that the most common types of incidents of aggression between residents – those involving residents with intellectual disabilities – are never badembled and are the subject of a public report" said Professor Ibrahim.

"We therefore have no way of knowing the magnitude and severity of the problem."

Loading

Dr. Sarah Russell, a public health researcher and director of Aged Care Matters, said the discretionary clause was "scandalous".

"We need to collect this very important data" to better manage and potentially prevent aggression, she said.

Ken Wyatt, Minister Responsible for Seniors, said that in limited circumstances, approved providers were not required to report alleged or suspected badaults to the Ministry of Health, but were required to report them to the Ministry of Health. police.

But the discretionary clause allowing claimants not to report alleged badaults did not clearly distinguish between the Ministry of Health and the police. The Australian Law Reform Commission has also expressed similar concerns about the need for clarification.

Loading

In 2017-2018, the Ministry of Health received 4013 notifications of badaults. Of these, 3,773 were to be reported under the law and 3,226 were registered as alleged or suspected abusive use of force.

Professor Ibrahim said the figures were "extremely low," one or two badaults per household and per year in the 2,700 Australian senior care facilities.

"It does not seem plausible that they can capture them all," he said.

The study found that 86% of the abusers were men and that the risk of dying from an injury inflicted by another resident was twice as high for men as for women.

Abusers were more likely to be younger and more recently admitted to a senior care facility.

Acts of violence often took place in common areas of large facilities of 60 or more beds, in the afternoon or evening, and most often involved pushing aggression.

"They could say," you're in my place or at home, get out "and the other guy thinks exactly the same thing," said Professor Ibrahim.

"The staff is very afraid to intervene [in cases of aggression] and there are many occasions where the staff is injured. There is no simple solution to that, "he said.

About 40% occurred in bedrooms, often when residents are confused with another resident's room.

"These people with dementia can only communicate with simple methods," he said.

"Many of these situations can be avoided through a consistent approach, good training and a set of skills among staff that understands the needs of a person with dementia and an environment that allows them to move around. freely."

Lead author, Dr. Briony Jain, said without intervention that a growing number of nursing home residents might die as a result of aggressive aggression due to the aging of the community. Australian population and the growing number of dementias.

Dementia is diagnosed in more than half of older residents. By 2028, about 589,807 Australians will have dementia. By 2058, this number will reach more than one million.

Leading Age Services Australia CEO Sean Rooney said the organization is initiating a process of consultation with the federal government on the reporting system and was convinced that it was possible to improve practices. current.

"LASA believes that better support for vendors and more research on managing best practices of this problem is essential to developing effective solutions."

Wyatt said the royal commission would provide a good understanding of the challenges and issues facing the senior care sector today and in the future.