Karlina and Wells
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.
Wells told the Royal Commission his sister Karlina died because of the neglect she experienced in hospital.
Karlina was non-verbal and unable to communicate her needs. She required complete support. She lived in a large residential centre in a regional area. Wells said that while the centre wasn’t perfect, the staff knew her needs and cared for her.
Then Karlina had a major fall and was admitted to the local hospital. She had fractures to the hip and femur and doctors decided to operate.
In the first few days prior to the operation Karlina was well looked after by the hospital nurses. But after surgery, she was transferred to the general ward. Wells said that despite support from the residential centre staff, the level of care dropped.
Wells assumes this was because ‘the nursing staff had no experience or concept’ of Karlina’s needs.
Karlina could not sit up to eat and ‘because she was not properly supervised … food passed into her lungs and she developed pneumonia’.
Wells said the residential centre discharged Karlina as quickly as possible and took over her care, but she died a couple of weeks later.
In addition to ‘ignorance on the part of staff’, Wells said government and the introduction of the NDIS are also responsible for the neglect Karlina experienced.
When government decided to close residential centres it failed ‘to provide adequate funding and … recognise where the system that is being dismantled has advantages and value,’ Wells said.
‘[These closures] resulted in a major loss for all who have high levels of need, particularly those with intellectual disabilities who are unable to coherently complain to strangers who are unused to dealing with their problems.’
Wells believes there was ‘insufficient consideration of what was being lost and no effort to properly replace it’.
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.