Noleen Hausler’s dad fought for his life. Now Noleen is fighting for him and justice
THE woman whose hidden camera video triggered a national debate on the merits of monitoring devices in aged care homes is an intensive care nurse trained to notice signs of distress in the vulnerable.
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THE woman whose hidden camera video triggered a national debate on the merits of monitoring devices in aged care homes is an intensive care nurse trained to notice signs of distress in the vulnerable.
Noleen Hausler, 56, is also a loving daughter who has visited her father Clarence, 89, virtually every day since he became a resident in the Mitcham Residential Care Facility in 2002.
It’s been an emotionally draining journey as dementia gradually robbed Mr Hausler of his ability to recognise family and friends, then left him bedridden without verbal communication, needing 24/7 care.
He now largely communicates with a raise of an eyebrow and a nod — he may not recognise Ms Hausler as his daughter but clearly he knows her as a safe, loving presence.
Ms Hausler’s fierce devotion to her father has not wavered.
It comes from a love forged in an idyllic childhood on a Riverland fruit block.
Ms Hausler was the middle of five children and her dad was her hero as she grew up on the Morgan block with citrus and sheep.
“Dad was a very hard worker, a very philosophical man,” she said. “We called him BHP — he was the quiet achiever. He did lots but did not want accolades.
“He was part and parcel of the Lions club, was involved in country football teams, he ran his farm and did very well.
“He was a gentle man who believed in people and putting in a hard day’s work. He made ends meet and provided well for our family.”
Ms Hausler recalls the beautiful freedom of life in the country.
“I loved the river and loved the freedom — in that small country town we had no reason to be fearful about anything,” she said.
“We didn’t have locks — people would come and go and leave gifts and messages, there was no need for security because everyone was honest.”
But life on the farm can be tough for the farmer. Mr Hausler suffered depression in later years as well as diabetes which masked the onset of dementia.
His wife Betty cared for him on the farm as his condition deteriorated, but at age 69, in 2001, she died from a heart attack.
The family was left with the heart-wrenching decision to put Mr Hausler into care, initially in Barmera but then in Mitcham where Ms Hausler lives.
She had moved to Adelaide aged 17 to pursue her love of nursing.
“When he first went in he had a walker, he could talk and loved to play cards,” she said.
As his condition deteriorated, Ms Hausler continued to visit, sometimes twice a day, for more than a decade.
She pauses during our interview when asked about the emotional toll of witnessing dementia steal her Dad, the tears welling.
It is a toll well known to thousands of families including many who put their loved ones into aged care homes with the anxious hope they are being well cared for behind closed doors.
For years, Ms Hausler was happy with the care her father received, but last year her suspicions were aroused. This was both as a loving daughter but also as a professional intensive care nurse.
“I’ve been a nurse for 35 years and loved every minute,” she said.
“As an intensive care nurse you have to have very good skills as far as observation goes, looking for minor and major changes and knowing it is important to be aware of such changes.
“My main intensive care work is with neonates — prem babes — and working with vulnerable children in paediatric intensive care.
“Minor changes may come about through illness, but can also be due to things like fear, they make people change from what they normally are.”
Ms Hausler’s suspicions about her father’s treatment were triggered by physical signs such as bruises but also subtle changes in her father’s demeanour.
While unable to talk, he seemed withdrawn, fearful. His reactions towards her changed.
She raised concerns with management but was not satisfied with their response.
It left her in a difficult situation — afraid for her father but unable to do much about it.
“It’s hard to say to someone: ‘Dad’s got tears in his eyes’ and have the situation fixed,” she said.
“I was assessing my Dad not just as a daughter but as a professional who could see there were changes in him.
“I could see these changes were escalating.
“Something had to be done so I did it.”
Ms Hausler took the drastic step of hiding a tiny camera in her father’s room last August.
“I didn’t research if it was legal, that was not my priority at the time, my priority was Dad’s safety and I was willing to face whatever consequences as a result of making that choice,” she said.
“I had no other way of proving right or wrong, and I was hoping I would be proved wrong.”
Ms Hausler was devastated to find the behaviour it exposed.
She took it to Sturt police and the carer Corey Lyle Lucas, 27, subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault.
He served just three weeks in jail.
“When magistrate Mr Harrap said 10 months I thought that was worthwhile, but then he took three months off for the guilty plea and six months off after submissions — I was appalled,” she said.
Adding to her anger over the sentence has been discussions with other families of residents at the facility.
“They have spoken to me of their concerns that their relatives suffered the same abuse at his hands but nothing can be done — there is no evidence,” she said.
Indeed, Lucas might still be dealing with residents at the facility had Ms Hausler not taken matters into her own hands with her spy camera.
Rather than thanking her, however, operators Japara Healthcare threatened her for breaching the Privacy Act, the Aged Care Act and the Video Surveillance Act.
The intimidation ramped up further when she raised the prospect of maintaining a camera in her father’s room as a safeguard.
“They told me they would confiscate it and call the police,” she said.
Japara Healthcare has rapidly backed down since Ms Hausler went to the media with the footage, which first appeared on the ABC’s 7.30 Report, immediately triggering national outrage followed by a debate over the use of monitoring equipment.
Politicians from Premier Jay Weatherill to Senator Nick Xenophon have warmed to the idea, at least while it is a hot-button media issue.
Before the media storm, a request by Ms Hausler to meet Attorney-General John Rau on the issue was rebuffed — he has since said he would be willing to meet her.
Ms Hausler stressed her campaign to allow families the option of using monitoring equipment in nursing home rooms — whether the operator likes it or not — is to protect staff from bogus allegations, as well as residents from abuse.
She notes the vast majority of carers genuinely do care. However, as in any industry, there may be some rogues.
One would probably still be in the system, but for a courageous daughter who decided to defend her Dad with the power of a hidden lens.
Caught on camera
Noleen Hausler installed a hidden camera in the room of her bedridden father, Clarence, 89, who has advanced dementia after becoming suspicious due to bruising, his changed demeanour and the evasive attitude of carer, Corey Lyle Lucas, 27.
The sickening abuse captured on video, lead to Lucas being charged and pleading guilty to two cases of aggravated assault, related to incidents on August 31 and September 9, 2015.
Lucas’ 10-month sentence was reduced by three months for his guilty plea and it was ordered he be released after one month on a good behaviour bond, following submissions from his legal team.
He served three weeks jail after being given an “administrative discharge” nine days before his scheduled release date.
Ms Hausler, who was threatened with legal action for using the camera, is now campaigning for families to have the option of installing monitoring equipment in nursing home bedrooms as a safeguard, regardless of objections by the operator.