Yasmeen
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.
Yasmeen is in her late 60s and has an acquired brain injury that, together with severe photosensitivity, impacts her daily life, her ability to look after herself and carry out household duties.
Yasmeen told the Royal Commission about the abuse and neglect she experienced at the hands of support workers she was dependent on for over nine months in 2020.
‘I have been abused and neglected … and held captive to keep me isolated from everybody … I was told that I was not able to report on anything because they were all I had … They would also try and prevent me from having friends.’
Yasmeen says these support workers would also refuse to provide support to her during particular hours simply because the times weren’t convenient for them.
The support workers also lied about the hours they were providing to Yasmeen, claiming they had worked overtime, weekends and times during the week when they hadn’t.
Eventually Yasmeen was able to contact the manager of the support agency, who came to see her at her home. The manager agreed that the state of her house was unacceptable and dismissed the workers.
Yasmeen said, ‘This has made me feel supported, however I am still traumatised by the abuse and am receiving lots of counselling’.
‘I have called the quality safeguards commission who told me that I cannot put a direct complaint against these workers because they were employed under an agency.’
Yasmeen is concerned that ‘these workers will keep going to other agencies and taking advantage of vulnerable people’.
Yasmeen would like there to be ‘better processes to deal with people like this’.
‘I hope that the workers who are employed as support workers have more qualifications and safety checks. Someone should be checking in more on people.’
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.