Alvaro and Dixie and Mireille
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.
Alvaro is in his late 20s and has a rare genetic condition that causes developmental and speech delays and behavioural issues.
‘He is non-verbal. He requires 24-hour care around all aspects of his life in terms of self-care, toileting, eating, bathing,’ his sister Dixie told the Royal Commission. ‘And he is a really vulnerable person. My mother and I looked after him until he was about age 18, until it was no longer possible for us to do so.’
About a decade ago, Alvaro moved into a group home. A couple of years later, Dixie and her mother Mireille applied to be Alvaro’s guardians.
‘The reason for this was he was prescribed a medication, antipsychotic by a psychiatrist without consulting my mother. And he underwent severe reactions and was hospitalised for a week. So mum wanted to have more formalised control around his care in all aspects.’
Concern about neglect at the home grew after a recent change in management. Staff were making errors in his medication, Dixie said. Once, they gave him a double dose.
‘So he is on a couple of medications which were for mood and general anxiety and insomnia … There was clearly issues on safety and administration. Mum was upset about that and asked them to put it into the reporting.’
Mireille tried to speak to the manager about the errors. On one occasion, she requested the home not send Alvaro to his day program – ‘to stay at home to observe any dizziness’. But they ignored her.
Around the same time, Alvaro cut his neck on the seat belt.
‘And they asked me what to do. And I said "Don't go to day program. Send him to GP, give first aid," all those kind of things. And they still followed through the same procedure putting him in a car – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – without doing anything. It started bleeding and the cut went through the skin … and he was struggling to get out and the more he struggled the more it cut. They did not give him any first aid for three days.’
In recent months, there have been signs of Alvaro being physically abused.
‘Usually finger marks, cuts or scratches, and there was one that appeared like a bite mark.’ Dixie said. ‘We contact [them], asking how this could have occurred … We have asked for separate incident reports. We still have not got any …’
The home never replied to Dixie’s emails ‘asking if there is a plan for investigation … or some kind of follow-up … [to] avoid such a thing from happening again’.
Meanwhile, Alvaro’s guardianship came up for review and the service provider tried to challenge it. Through this process, Dixie and Mireille learnt the provider had ‘grossly overbilled’.
‘It became very clear that it was never about [Alvaro’s] interest and a lot of it is financially motivated,’ Dixie said.
‘We were very surprised and shocked at the behaviour of this organisation. Our concerns about care were justified.’
Dixie and Mireille want to move Alvaro somewhere ‘safe’.
‘Once we do, we will be making a complaint to the [NDIS] Quality and Safeguards Commission.’
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.