Gordy and Lynne
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.
Gordy, early 50s, has a genetic syndrome that causes cognitive disability and blindness. His parents placed him in state care immediately after he was born.
Gordy and Lynne met about 20 years ago when Lynne started working at the residential facility where he lived. She was horrified by the culture of abuse and neglect at the facility.
‘It’s really the staff versus the clients.’
Not long before she started, a staff member had physically assaulted Gordy.
The staff member was sacked and started working as a driver.
Other staff blamed Gordy and would book this person to take Gordy to weekly appointments. The person continued to assault and intimidate Gordy during these trips.
Staff also blamed Gordy for assaulting another resident. As a result, management isolated him for a year. Eventually the assault was investigated and they discovered Gordy had been wrongly accused. Nothing was done to address the false allegation.
After a government enquiry into the facility, it was shut down and the residents moved into smaller group homes.
Lynne said the facility destroyed all the client files.
‘All their details about their health throughout their life, their behaviour throughout their life, their family contact details. Like, [Gordy]’s mother’s contact details were in that folder. I can’t now find [Gordy]’s mother if I wanted to.’
Staff were relocated from the facility to the group homes, and the abuse continued.
When Lynne left her job, she continued to visit Gordy.
One time, Gordy was crying and telling her his eye was hurting. Lynne tried to get staff to take him to the doctor. When they refused she said she would take him, but staff threatened to call police, telling her she’d ‘be charged with kidnapping’.
After this, about 5 years ago, Lynne applied to be Gordy’s guardian.
‘That was a big relief … We could get him to a doctor.’
While most of the abuse has stopped, she still struggles to get the provider to care for him properly. The house is filthy and many of Gordy’s things go missing.
Not long ago, Gordy broke his leg and was taken to hospital. The provider refused to send staff to the hospital to support him, and the hospital said it wasn’t their job to feed him.
‘While the argy-bargy goes on, [Gordy]’s sitting there with nothing, losing weight.’
The hospital wanted to discharge Gordy but the provider refused to take him back, arguing ‘he was in the palliative stage of his syndrome’.
The doctors didn’t agree and Lynne had to fight to get Gordy back home.
Lynne then tried to get the provider to develop a meal plan for Gordy to help him gain weight, but they refused.
Lynne is grateful for the NDIS.
‘The NDIS has changed [Gordy]’s life. We got a [support worker]. [Gordy] goes out four or five times a week with non-government agencies. He has speech therapy, OT and physio support. He got new equipment such as a new wheelchair, a pressure mattress and things like that.’
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.