Maude

Maude is an allied health professional working with people with disability.

Several years ago, Maude’s father, who now has Alzheimer’s disease, made her his legal guardian.

‘He chose me when he had capacity,’ Maude told the Royal Commission. ‘I was happy to be his guardian, but my sister … didn’t like me in that role.’

Maude told the Royal Commission her sister moved into the family home ‘to save rent’ and applied for a carer’s payment, but neglected her parents and ‘took a lot of money’ from them.

‘So, when I started saying, “You can’t do that. If you’re going to be the carer, you have to be the carer. There’s certain criteria around accepting that work.” That’s when it all started going pear-shaped.’

After Maude suggested employing professional carers, her sister challenged Maude’s guardianship in the state administrative tribunal.

Maude said she sent the tribunal a submission, but it failed to read it before the hearing.

‘They literally said at the beginning, “We haven't read it because it was too long.”’

Maude’s father attended the hearing but wasn’t able to speak. Her mother’s voice was affected by Parkinson’s disease.

‘I was saying [before the hearing], “What sort of disability access can she take advantage of? You know, can she get extra time? Can she get a microphone? Will there be a disability support person there to support her?" And they said, “No.”’

Her mother supported Maude’s guardianship, but told the tribunal she’d be her husband’s guardian if Maude couldn’t. Maude said the tribunal told her she was ‘too disabled’.

‘In those sorts of words – “You’re too disabled to do it.”’

The tribunal instead appointed a public guardian ‘based on what they call “family conflict”.’

‘For me it’s not family conflict. It’s, I’m the whistleblower. I’m telling them about the abuse and supporting my mum in telling them about the abuse.’

Maude’s sister still lives in the family home with her father. Her mother moved into a nursing home ‘to get away from’ her.

‘There were so many systems in place to protect the residents there. There were whistleblowing posters on the staff toilets. There were complaint procedures … But at home, my parents were left, you know, in squalor, yelled at … I’m just finding it really quite shocking how little support there is for someone in that setting where the systems I would see in place in formal care just don’t exist.’

Maude’s mother recently died. Her father’s public guardian has not yet visited him, but restricted Maude to three supervised visits a week.

‘I’m not allowed to touch him, I’m not allowed to care for him … I find that very strange in that I’m a professional carer myself … I said, “Is there some sort of violence order against me” or, you know, “Why?” And [the public guardian] goes, “No, but you’re not a carer so there has to be a carer there while you're there.”’

Maude discovered the tribunal had accepted her sister’s allegation that Maude was a ‘liar’. In its report based on the hearing, Maude said the tribunal alleged she also ‘manipulated’ her father’s doctor to write a report saying her father was being abused.

Maude said the tribunal later apologised to the doctor, but wouldn’t change its decision.

‘The whole process has been extremely traumatic because I’m really just trying to help two disabled people to get away from this abuse and yet, now, it’s being turned on me.’