Clementine and Demi
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘I hope that people with disabilities are treated with genuine care and not subjected to suffering at the hands of people who are supposed to help them, in medical settings especially.’
Demi’s grandmother, Clementine, had a stroke many years ago which left her completely paralysed. Since then she has spent time in both respite accommodation centres and hospitals, where she has fallen from her bed several times. Demi is concerned because Clementine cannot use her hands, arms or legs to mitigate the impact, so each fall is ‘a life‐threatening risk if she were to hit her head or land awkwardly’.
When Clementine has gone into the respite centres and hospitals, her husband has asked them to erect guard rails at each side of the bed to prevent Clementine falling, but they usually refuse, neglecting her safety.
‘Most recently,’ Clementine said in her submission, ‘my grandmother got back from a hospital stay with new bruising to her shoulder and hip – noticed by my grandfather but not mentioned by any staff’.
Demi’s grandfather believed Clementine had had yet another fall as a result of ‘negligence’ by hospital staff. She had to go back to hospital for them to find out if the fall had caused her hip to be dislocated.
‘I find it deplorable that my grandmother could dangerously fall so often in medical settings due to the staff’s inability to properly care for or about her. She does not express pain vocally often and it breaks my heart that she has experienced and is still experiencing such pain at the hand of ineptitude in our disability care systems in this country.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.