A woman who became suspicious that her elderly father wasn’t being treated properly in his care home was horrified to discover he was being physically assaulted by staff.
Noleen Hausler placed a hidden camera in the bedroom of her 89-year-old father Clarence, known as Clarry, who suffered with dementia, and found he had been physically assaulted and violently abused by a carer at Adelaide’s Mitcham Residential Care Facility, one of Australia’s biggest aged.
Speaking to that’s life!, Noleen said she was disgusted by what she saw when she played the footage.
‘I was beyond horrified,’ she said. ‘My sweet, dad – who deserved dignity and respect – was being hurt by this abuser.’
In June 2016, Corey Lyle Lucas, 29, appeared at Adelaide Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault against Clarence Hausler.
He received a six-month jail sentence, but only served one month in prison before the rest was suspended.
Sadly, Clarence later passed away in January 2017, age 91.
Making the footage available for the public to see, Noleen is also supporting the that’s life! magazine’s Show You Care campaign is calling for the government to legislate for the use of ethical video surveillance in private rooms of aged care facilities, with the permission of residents or their family members/guardians.
‘In his honour, I decided to campaign for legislative reform for the use of CCTV in care homes,’ said Noleen. ‘I’m requesting relatives be allowed to install ethical CCTV in rooms of loved ones, to restore peace of mind and ensure them a safe environment in the last years of their lives.
‘Hopefully, Dad’s story will mean it never happens again. With cameras holding abusers accountable, no-one else will suffer the way my darling dad did.’
Click here to join our campaign.
No Australian aged care resident should endure the abuse Noleen’s father had to suffer, but those who wish to use video surveillance are putting themselves at risk of a criminal prosecution.
that’s life! believes every resident has the right to quality care and to feel safe from the threat of abuse.
If you believe that too please join our Show You Care campaign and sign our petition.
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