A great-grandmother with dementia is fighting for life in hospital after being tasered by police at her nursing home in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
Key points: Police have launched an investigation after a woman was injured in an aged care facility in Cooma
Police have launched an investigation after a woman was injured in an aged care facility in Cooma The 95-year-old was injured during an interaction with police and taken to hospital
The 95-year-old was injured during an interaction with police and taken to hospital The incident occurred at the Yallambee Lodge, a facility run by Snowy Monaro Regional Council
Clare Nowland, 95, was home in Yallambee Lodge in Cooma when staff called NSW Police to the facility on Wednesday.
Ms Nowland, who has lived at the aged care facility for more than five years, was believed to have been carrying a knife when officers tasered her.
She was taken to Cooma Base Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.
Ms Nowland is well-known in the local community, and on her 80th birthday she celebrated by skydiving over Canberra, as reported by the ABC.
Clare Nowland was injured at her aged care facility on Wednesday. ( )
The great-grandmother had previously volunteered at a charity store in Cooma, before suffering from dementia in recent years.
Her family are by her bedside in hospital and have declined to comment on the incident.
Ms Nowland's family are by her side. ( )
Yallambee Lodge in Cooma, which is run by the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, opened in 1995.
According to its website, Yallambee Lodge offers "palliative care" and can cater to residents with "higher needs".
In a statement, police said a critical incident team would investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"That investigation will be subject to independent review," it read.
"No further details are available at this time."
The ABC understands the incident took place at Yallambee Lodge in Cooma. ( )
The 95-year-old woman was taken to Cooma District Hospital for treatment. ( )
In a statement, the Snowy Monaro Regional Council said staff, residents and family involved were being supported "during this difficult time".
"No further comment is available at the current time due to the ongoing investigation, and out of respect for the privacy of those involved."
rubyblue0 on May 18th, 2023 at 12:37 UTC »
I’ve worked in elder care most of my life. I was taught to basically duck and weave from a confused person that is getting violent. We’d corral them away from other residents and try to distract them while someone snuck up to snatch away whatever they had. Not saying a 95 year old with a knife can’t pose a threat, but there are better ways to handle it.
EducatedRat on May 18th, 2023 at 12:04 UTC »
I’m not shocked. 15 years ago or so I was a nurse in a care facility. We call for an ambulance to transport one of our geri-psych patients to the ER for an assessment. We were a lower level of care and she was not responding to anything in her care plan or meds. Probably a UTI but we couldn’t even get her calmed down enough to test.
The ambulance came with a cop, and our patient had her slipper out and was whacking people. Like, it wasn’t dangerous. I made the call for the ambulance transport while she was bonking me in the head with it. Comical, and she was upset, but not dangerous.
This cop bastard decided to quarterback sack granny onto the facility floor. Broke her hip, dead on. We started screaming at him, the ambulance staff screamed at him, and one of my NACs got in his face. The cop literally could not see what he’d done was wrong. Like he was mad at us for not being grateful.
This patient was in her 80s. She never recovered and passed away. Cop straight up murdered her and was mad at us for not seeing him as a hero. This situation still haunts me.
312Observer on May 18th, 2023 at 11:55 UTC »
If a cop can’t deal with a 95 year old woman without a taser, they shouldn’t be a cop