Jack and Donna
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.
‘Why,’ Donna asks, ‘do people with disability have to wait months and years for dental intervention, only to suffer in pain while waiting?’
Jack is in his 20s and has severe intellectual disability and autism. Donna, his mum, told the Royal Commission she struggles to access timely or appropriate dental care for Jack.
Jack is dependent on others for all personal and access care and he is vulnerable when it comes to his dental health because he has a cardiac abnormality. If he contracts an infection, especially of the mouth, it could lead to potentially fatal cardiac disease.
Jack becomes anxious during dental procedures, so he needs to be under anaesthetic. There are only a couple of special dental units in the state that can provide this service. One of them is physically inaccessible to Jack, who can only walk very limited distances. The second is physically accessible, but Donna says that they normally have to wait 12 months or more to get an appointment.
Jack has now developed gingivitis and his gums bleed profusely, often covering his pillows with blood during the night. Donna told us that even with letters from the private dentist and Jack’s cardiologist, ‘he has had to wait 5 months even though the hospital knew he was in pain and bleeding’.
‘This is institutional neglect. I have pictures of the pillows covered in blood as a result of the bleeding of his gums.’
‘It is inconceivable that people like my son have to wait so long for much needed dental intervention,’ Donna says. ‘Dental services such as this I believe need to be in every hospital, not just two!’
‘As a person with a disability he is not considered a priority, if he was, there would be extended access to dental unit venues … the needs of people with disability are not prioritised.’
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.