Kade and Zenni
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.
‘Abuse and neglect are very broad terms and I beg you not to look the other way just because there is no gaping wound. It’s often covert abuse and neglect that’s brutally insidious.’
Kade, early 60s, was formally diagnosed with an intellectual disability last year.
Zenni, Kade’s sister-in-law, told the Royal Commission that two of Kade’s siblings intentionally delayed a diagnosis and hindered him from obtaining any form of disability support throughout his life.
About 40 years ago Kade’s mother died in a car accident. Kade, a passenger in the car, inherited his mother’s estate. Zenni estimates the estate is now worth more than $4.5 million.
In the late 2000s Kade’s father died and his siblings ‘made’ him appoint them as his legal guardians and joint enduring powers of attorney. Zenni believes Kade lacked capacity to understand what he was signing. ‘[The solicitor] did not take any steps to safeguard [Kade]’s interests,’ she said.
A few years ago, Kade’s sister took him to a financial planner and he signed a financial management plan. Zenni believes Kade didn’t understand the document.
Zenni said Kade’s siblings do not want Kade to spend money and rarely act in his interests.
Kade has been working as a kitchen hand at a hospitality venue since he was 18. He does not use a mobile phone and, walking home from work late at night, he often gets lost. Kade’s siblings refuse to allow him to use an Uber or taxi service. Zenni purchased a hi-vis safety jacket for Kade. She also organises and personally pays for his transport to and from work.
Kade continues to live in the family home. The house is in a ‘very poor’ condition and infested with pests. Mice have eaten through his mattress and Zenni suspects Kade sleeps upright in the hard dining chair. A recent occupational therapy assessment confirmed there was ‘no safe place’ for him to sleep.
It is also extremely difficult to move about the house because Kade is a compulsive hoarder. Zenni organised and paid for a deep clean of his house. This professional clean took four days and cost $12,000.
Last year Kade was admitted to hospital with untreated kidney stones. During his stay Zenni connected Kade with medical professionals and social workers. Kade was formally diagnosed with an intellectual disability. The medical professionals recommended a number of services and therapies to improve Kade’s quality of life.
Kade will have his first NDIS planning meeting soon.
If the NDIS refuses to fund Kade he will miss out on these services. His siblings will not permit him to fund the services himself despite him having ample resources and no dependents. When Zenni raises her concerns, she feels ‘intimidated and bullied’.
Kade’s siblings are depriving him of basic liberties, Zenni says, because they want his estate to be as large as possible when he dies.
Zenni’s lawyer advised her to make an application to the administrative tribunal to have Kade’s guardianship and financial management orders reviewed. However, she is concerned that this would damage Kade’s family relationships, exacerbate the psychological abuse and isolate him further.
Zenni feels like she has run out of options. ‘What can I do to protect him?’
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.