Shocking police assault underscores urgent need for aged care reform
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Content Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and imagery of a violent attack against the elderly. Reader discretion is advised.
The Police are often our first point of contact in emergencies, providing reassurance and assistance when needed.
However, misunderstandings arise in some instances, leading to unintended consequences that undermine trust and security.
The distressing incident involving the alleged assault of 92-year-old Ronald Hodge by New South Wales police officers sparked a conversation about the state of aged care in Australia, particularly for those dealing with dementia.
The case, which left an elderly man with a broken arm and a family grappling with the consequences, shows the urgent need for reform in how we care for our most vulnerable citizens.
Ronald Hodge's son, Bruce Hodge, bravely came forward to share the harrowing details of his father's experience and its toll on his family.
The elder, Mr Hodge, was hospitalised following a confrontation with police and has since recovered from his physical injuries.
Still, the incident left him ‘disabled for about a month after’ but noted ‘the mental effect has been more significant.’
Meanwhile, Ronald’s wife of 70 years, Patricia, has dementia and has been moved to a nursing home, leaving him to face the loneliness of living at home without her.
‘That's the biggest thing now is the separation and the confusion,’ Bruce said.
‘There's a degree of confusion from him as to what happened and who is to blame, given his age.’
‘It's very unfortunate because it has affected the relationship he now has with my mother.’
Ronald and Patricia Hodge are parents to three children, grandparents to seven, and great-grandparents to five.
According to Bruce, Mrs Hodge, aged 90, started experiencing dementia symptoms around two years ago.
Her condition progressively worsened over the past year. Despite this, the couple continues to reside at home, providing mutual care and support for each other.
Bruce Hodge, a prominent surgeon at Port Macquarie Hospital, mentioned that his mother experiences paranoia. Approximately a year ago, she contacted the police due to her condition.
‘At that time, the difference was that police did come… and there was a degree of aggression from my mother towards police, but they responded very well,’ he said.
‘She did have a pair of scissors in her hand, but they calmly took them off her…they communicated with us… they arranged an ambulance to have her transferred to a hospital.’
After being allowed to return home with her husband, Mrs Hodge received prescribed medication to alleviate her dementia symptoms.
Earlier this year, on 21 January, Mrs Hodge dialled emergency services due to a domestic violence incident.
Two officers, a senior constable and a constable, promptly arrived at their residence on Campbell Street just after 8:45 pm.
Bruce mentioned that his mother contacted him shortly after calling the police and remained on the line throughout the officers' visit.
Due to legal restrictions, we cannot disclose the specific details of their conversation.
‘An elderly man sitting in a chair is not a threat to anybody,’ Bruce explained.
He recounted his frantic attempts to inform the officers about his mother's dementia but was unable to reach them through triple-0 and didn't know their originating police station.
During his efforts to contact them, the officers proceeded to arrest his father, Ronald Hodge.
Ronald sustained injuries during the arrest and was promptly transported to Campbelltown Hospital. He received treatment for a fractured right elbow and extensive bruising on his head and arms.
Notably, Ronald was never charged with any offence.
Bruce acknowledged the ‘unfortunate’ circumstances surrounding his father's experience but emphasised that he views the incident as isolated. He believed that police officers ‘are doing a very difficult job’.
‘In these circumstances, an elderly man sitting in a chair is not a threat to anybody,’ he said.
‘In these circumstances, we are relying on how people react individually to see if they're going to apply what they've been taught, and I think it's sad that this wasn't done.’
‘You have to think, is this action I'm going to take reasonable? I don't think it was appropriate in this case….but that will be born out in the court case.’
After an internal investigation spanning several months, two officers from the South West Metropolitan Region were charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.
Additionally, the constable faces an additional charge of assault.
Bruce emphasised his desire for his father's case to inspire reforms within the aged care and mental health systems, which he perceives as ‘overloaded’.
‘The biggest issue (my parents) had was accessing the system,’ he said.
‘We need to be able to have better access for people to be able to be assessed and a system that is streamlined and provides adequate feedback to those who need to get the care, that's where we're lacking at the moment.’
‘We've been talking about this for a long time in government, but that's all we've been doing is talking about it…We haven't actually seen substantial movement.’
Bruce noted that elderly individuals, such as his parents, often hesitate to seek assistance and encounter prolonged wait times when they do.
‘That makes it even more difficult, that's the area we need to change is how we get people into it,’ he explained.
Following the officers' charges, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb addressed the media in a press conference. She stated that the internal investigation into Ronald Hodge's arrest commenced the day after the police visited the residence.
‘It's obviously a complex matter when you have someone elderly, someone who has mental decline through dementia, or through something else, that can actually articulate any concerns to police properly,’ she said.
This incident occurred less than a year after the death of 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland, who passed away in hospital a week after allegedly being tasered by a NSW Police officer at her nursing home in Cooma.
Mrs Nowland had been holding a knife during the encounter with police and suffered a skull fracture after falling in May of the previous year.
Senior Constable Kristian White was charged with multiple offences linked to her death, including manslaughter and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
Commissioner Webb stated last week, in response to Ronald Hodge's injuries, that she has confidence in officers handling [domestic violence] calls the ‘majority of the time’.
‘If there are occasions that we have concerns about the way we respond, then we will investigate like we've done in this matter.’ she emphasised.
She underscored the importance of assuring residents that they can rely on the state's police force.
‘We respond to thousands and thousands of calls, every week and every year, in NSW. And most of the time, we get it right—almost all of the time, we respond to victims in a very caring, empathetic manner.’ she added.
‘But if we have concerns, as an executive, as a leadership, that officers haven't responded appropriately, then we will investigate.’
One officer is scheduled to appear at Campbelltown Local Court on July 30th, while the other will appear on August 6th.
In another incident involving violence against the elderly, a grandmother in Girrawheen, Western Australia, fell victim to a vicious attack by three men impersonating police officers in her own home.
The perpetrators used a fake police badge to deceive her and her husband, subjecting them to a brutal 30-minute ordeal. For more details on this shocking incident, click here.
Have you or your loved ones faced challenges in accessing aged care or mental health services? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below. Your input is always important.
The Police are often our first point of contact in emergencies, providing reassurance and assistance when needed.
However, misunderstandings arise in some instances, leading to unintended consequences that undermine trust and security.
The distressing incident involving the alleged assault of 92-year-old Ronald Hodge by New South Wales police officers sparked a conversation about the state of aged care in Australia, particularly for those dealing with dementia.
The case, which left an elderly man with a broken arm and a family grappling with the consequences, shows the urgent need for reform in how we care for our most vulnerable citizens.
Ronald Hodge's son, Bruce Hodge, bravely came forward to share the harrowing details of his father's experience and its toll on his family.
The elder, Mr Hodge, was hospitalised following a confrontation with police and has since recovered from his physical injuries.
Ronald Hodge was hospitalised after being confronted by police, who had responded to a call from his wife, who suffered from dementia. Credit: iStock
Still, the incident left him ‘disabled for about a month after’ but noted ‘the mental effect has been more significant.’
Meanwhile, Ronald’s wife of 70 years, Patricia, has dementia and has been moved to a nursing home, leaving him to face the loneliness of living at home without her.
‘That's the biggest thing now is the separation and the confusion,’ Bruce said.
‘There's a degree of confusion from him as to what happened and who is to blame, given his age.’
‘It's very unfortunate because it has affected the relationship he now has with my mother.’
Ronald and Patricia Hodge are parents to three children, grandparents to seven, and great-grandparents to five.
According to Bruce, Mrs Hodge, aged 90, started experiencing dementia symptoms around two years ago.
Her condition progressively worsened over the past year. Despite this, the couple continues to reside at home, providing mutual care and support for each other.
Bruce Hodge, a prominent surgeon at Port Macquarie Hospital, mentioned that his mother experiences paranoia. Approximately a year ago, she contacted the police due to her condition.
‘At that time, the difference was that police did come… and there was a degree of aggression from my mother towards police, but they responded very well,’ he said.
‘She did have a pair of scissors in her hand, but they calmly took them off her…they communicated with us… they arranged an ambulance to have her transferred to a hospital.’
After being allowed to return home with her husband, Mrs Hodge received prescribed medication to alleviate her dementia symptoms.
Earlier this year, on 21 January, Mrs Hodge dialled emergency services due to a domestic violence incident.
Two officers, a senior constable and a constable, promptly arrived at their residence on Campbell Street just after 8:45 pm.
Bruce mentioned that his mother contacted him shortly after calling the police and remained on the line throughout the officers' visit.
Due to legal restrictions, we cannot disclose the specific details of their conversation.
‘An elderly man sitting in a chair is not a threat to anybody,’ Bruce explained.
He recounted his frantic attempts to inform the officers about his mother's dementia but was unable to reach them through triple-0 and didn't know their originating police station.
During his efforts to contact them, the officers proceeded to arrest his father, Ronald Hodge.
Ronald sustained injuries during the arrest and was promptly transported to Campbelltown Hospital. He received treatment for a fractured right elbow and extensive bruising on his head and arms.
Notably, Ronald was never charged with any offence.
Bruce acknowledged the ‘unfortunate’ circumstances surrounding his father's experience but emphasised that he views the incident as isolated. He believed that police officers ‘are doing a very difficult job’.
‘In these circumstances, an elderly man sitting in a chair is not a threat to anybody,’ he said.
‘In these circumstances, we are relying on how people react individually to see if they're going to apply what they've been taught, and I think it's sad that this wasn't done.’
‘You have to think, is this action I'm going to take reasonable? I don't think it was appropriate in this case….but that will be born out in the court case.’
After an internal investigation spanning several months, two officers from the South West Metropolitan Region were charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.
Additionally, the constable faces an additional charge of assault.
Bruce emphasised his desire for his father's case to inspire reforms within the aged care and mental health systems, which he perceives as ‘overloaded’.
‘The biggest issue (my parents) had was accessing the system,’ he said.
‘We need to be able to have better access for people to be able to be assessed and a system that is streamlined and provides adequate feedback to those who need to get the care, that's where we're lacking at the moment.’
‘We've been talking about this for a long time in government, but that's all we've been doing is talking about it…We haven't actually seen substantial movement.’
Reforms in aged care and mental health services were demanded by Bruce Hodge following an alleged assault on his father, Ronald Hodge, Credit: Unsplash
Bruce noted that elderly individuals, such as his parents, often hesitate to seek assistance and encounter prolonged wait times when they do.
‘That makes it even more difficult, that's the area we need to change is how we get people into it,’ he explained.
Following the officers' charges, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb addressed the media in a press conference. She stated that the internal investigation into Ronald Hodge's arrest commenced the day after the police visited the residence.
‘It's obviously a complex matter when you have someone elderly, someone who has mental decline through dementia, or through something else, that can actually articulate any concerns to police properly,’ she said.
This incident occurred less than a year after the death of 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland, who passed away in hospital a week after allegedly being tasered by a NSW Police officer at her nursing home in Cooma.
Mrs Nowland had been holding a knife during the encounter with police and suffered a skull fracture after falling in May of the previous year.
Senior Constable Kristian White was charged with multiple offences linked to her death, including manslaughter and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
Commissioner Webb stated last week, in response to Ronald Hodge's injuries, that she has confidence in officers handling [domestic violence] calls the ‘majority of the time’.
‘If there are occasions that we have concerns about the way we respond, then we will investigate like we've done in this matter.’ she emphasised.
She underscored the importance of assuring residents that they can rely on the state's police force.
‘We respond to thousands and thousands of calls, every week and every year, in NSW. And most of the time, we get it right—almost all of the time, we respond to victims in a very caring, empathetic manner.’ she added.
‘But if we have concerns, as an executive, as a leadership, that officers haven't responded appropriately, then we will investigate.’
One officer is scheduled to appear at Campbelltown Local Court on July 30th, while the other will appear on August 6th.
In another incident involving violence against the elderly, a grandmother in Girrawheen, Western Australia, fell victim to a vicious attack by three men impersonating police officers in her own home.
The perpetrators used a fake police badge to deceive her and her husband, subjecting them to a brutal 30-minute ordeal. For more details on this shocking incident, click here.
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