Content warning: This story contains discussions of violence, elder abuse and death. Reader discretion is recommended.

It’s a heartbreaking story that no family should have to go through—an elderly woman brutally attacked in her Sydney nursing home.

Joan Hobbs, a lively woman aged 89, was originally admitted into the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre under the advice of her doctors as she battled with intensifying dementia.

An unimaginable ordeal unfolded a mere eight weeks into her stay. Joan was brutally assaulted, leading to her tragic passing, in what her daughters describe as a 'hideous' incident—one they never imagined could happen in a place they had trusted to keep their mother safe.

Startled by an early morning text, Joan's daughters rushed to Sutherland Hospital only to be faced with an image that will undoubtedly haunt them for the rest of their lives: their mother, battered and bruised, the victim of a fellow dementia patient within the supposed safety of the centre's walls.

The man had spent all but two days in the centre as a 'respite patient'.

Joan suffered severe injuries in the attack that left her 'black and blue', including bruises to her face and bones 'shattered all the way down' one arm.

Overwhelmed by the situation, Mulholland relived the painfully haunting memory during an interview with 7NEWS.

'I'm just mortified, absolutely stunned that something like this could happen,' she confessed.

'She wouldn’t understand what was happening, how frightened she must have been, terrified in those final moments.'

The incident took place at the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre. Image Credit: IRT

The family began funeral preparations for Joan, replacing what should have been a 90th birthday celebration.

Amidst their sorrow, the family saw a systemic failure. In their grief-stricken state, they’ve called out for the government to address issues like nursing staff shortages and inadequate support for dementia patients. They are not seeking retaliation against the perpetrator or the care home; instead, they yearn for an overhaul of the system.

'How many more have to die before we do something?' said Mulholland.

‘There are not enough nurses on the floors, and that’s a government issue they need to address.’

‘We need more nurses per patient.’

'It was just a really, really sad ending to a lovely woman’s life.'

‘She was an intelligent, beautiful, compassionate woman.’

It is vital to learn what to look out for when it comes to care homes. The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency recommends thoroughly researching staff-to-resident ratios and checking their accreditation status and past audit reports.

Key Takeaways

• An 89-year-old woman passed away after being attacked by a fellow patient at Kirrawee’s IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre in Sydney.
  
• The family suspects the tragedy could have been avoided had the aged care centre had appropriate staffing.
  
• The attacker, a fellow dementia patient, had only been at the centre for two days, and the victim’s family insists they want no retaliation against him or his family.
  
• The incident has stirred up a call for action to improve conditions and increase staffing in aged care facilities, highlighting a significant issue facing Australia's seniors.

Let Joan's story serve as a wake-up call to stay informed about our loved ones' care. Negotiate for better conditions, ask hard questions, and make sure your family's voice is heard.

Have you or a loved one had a similar worrisome experience with a care home? We urge our SDC members to share their stories. By doing so, we can shed more light on the state of aged care in Australia, help others make informed decisions, and hopefully bring about a change in the system. Your voice matters.

 

[Leenie]

I would never put someone in an aged care home again after what happened to my late husband and he was only in respite. Black eye and split head etc.

 

[Sloopy]

They are not "demanding justice" as your headline claims. What they are doing, as stated in the body of the article, is trying to reduce the risk of it happening to somebody else.

 

[lonelyasacloud]

My MIL was knocked over on her walking frame, suffered a fractured hip and associated surgery. She didn’t survive the ordeal at age 91.

 

[Leenie]

My mil also suffered a broken hip while in a church run home and passed away a few months later, she was 89 .

 

[Macarj]

My mother in law is 93 there is no way we would put her in a nursing home my wife is up in NSW looking after her she is totally immobile but still has all her mental capacity my wife and her sister take turns in living with her and looking after her

 

[mOiOz]

My late grandmother with dementia, was beaten by a staff member in an aged home and passed away two months after being admitted.

I also recall, whilst working at a hospital, an elderly patient pushed another elderly patient through a glass door, resulting in ending his life.
The door was eventually replaced with unbreakable glass - too late!

What does one do today if they have an elderly, ill family member and are unable to look after them?

 

[Lesle]

Content warning: This story contains discussions of violence, elder abuse and death. Reader discretion is recommended.

It’s a heartbreaking story that no family should have to go through—an elderly woman brutally attacked in her Sydney nursing home.

Joan Hobbs, a lively woman aged 89, was originally admitted into the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre under the advice of her doctors as she battled with intensifying dementia.

An unimaginable ordeal unfolded a mere eight weeks into her stay. Joan was brutally assaulted, leading to her tragic passing, in what her daughters describe as a 'hideous' incident—one they never imagined could happen in a place they had trusted to keep their mother safe.

Startled by an early morning text, Joan's daughters rushed to Sutherland Hospital only to be faced with an image that will undoubtedly haunt them for the rest of their lives: their mother, battered and bruised, the victim of a fellow dementia patient within the supposed safety of the centre's walls.

The man had spent all but two days in the centre as a 'respite patient'.

Joan suffered severe injuries in the attack that left her 'black and blue', including bruises to her face and bones 'shattered all the way down' one arm.

Overwhelmed by the situation, Mulholland relived the painfully haunting memory during an interview with 7NEWS.

'I'm just mortified, absolutely stunned that something like this could happen,' she confessed.

'She wouldn’t understand what was happening, how frightened she must have been, terrified in those final moments.'

View attachment 26068

The incident took place at the IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre. Image Credit: IRT

The family began funeral preparations for Joan, replacing what should have been a 90th birthday celebration.

Amidst their sorrow, the family saw a systemic failure. In their grief-stricken state, they’ve called out for the government to address issues like nursing staff shortages and inadequate support for dementia patients. They are not seeking retaliation against the perpetrator or the care home; instead, they yearn for an overhaul of the system.

'How many more have to die before we do something?' said Mulholland.

‘There are not enough nurses on the floors, and that’s a government issue they need to address.’

‘We need more nurses per patient.’

'It was just a really, really sad ending to a lovely woman’s life.'

‘She was an intelligent, beautiful, compassionate woman.’

It is vital to learn what to look out for when it comes to care homes. The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency recommends thoroughly researching staff-to-resident ratios and checking their accreditation status and past audit reports.

Key Takeaways

• An 89-year-old woman passed away after being attacked by a fellow patient at Kirrawee’s IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre in Sydney.
• The family suspects the tragedy could have been avoided had the aged care centre had appropriate staffing.
• The attacker, a fellow dementia patient, had only been at the centre for two days, and the victim’s family insists they want no retaliation against him or his family.
• The incident has stirred up a call for action to improve conditions and increase staffing in aged care facilities, highlighting a significant issue facing Australia's seniors.

Let Joan's story serve as a wake-up call to stay informed about our loved ones' care. Negotiate for better conditions, ask hard questions, and make sure your family's voice is heard.

Have you or a loved one had a similar worrisome experience with a care home? We urge our SDC members to share their stories. By doing so, we can shed more light on the state of aged care in Australia, help others make informed decisions, and hopefully bring about a change in the system. Your voice matters.

So sorry for you loss
and who’s to blame, you can’t blame the man that did it as he didn’t know what he was doing . staff shortages are everywhere so who do you blame? The government, the nurses cause they don’t want to work in aged care without security? Security because they saying that they don’t get enough money, everyone’s passing it off to each other……. that’s the problem

 

[IAN3005]

My mother needed specialist attention and I had no option but to put her in a nursing home I had a meeting with the management and told them I would be"WATCHING THEM" and visited my mother 3 times a day for 5 years. I would go through the kitchen and the laundry and inspect the place for housekeeping. It got to the point where people that had lived there longer than my mother thought I owned the place and commented how the place had improved since I came along.