First responders receive training to manage dementia emergencies

In the wake of the horrific death of 95 year-old nursing home resident Clare Nowland, Tasered by police, all first responders across the nation are being offered specialist training in how to deal with people with dementia.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells announces new federally funded dementia training for the nation’s first responders.

All first responders in Australia will have access to a new specialist training program to deal with people with dementia in emergency situations.

Police, firefighters, ambulance and other frontline health services intervening in a crisis situation involving a person with dementia need specific skills, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said in introducing the new initiative.

“With more than 400,000 people living with dementia in Australia, a number expected to double by 2058, the demand for dementia awareness among emergency personnel has never been greater,” Ms Wells said. “People living with dementia deserve to be treated with empathy and respect.

“This training, fully funded by the Albanese government, will empower our police, fire, emergency workers, paramedics and ambulance officers to safely engage with people who have dementia in an empathetic way. It’s a game-changer for first responders who have a new opportunity to increase their understanding of dementia.”

The training module’s introduction follows the case of 95-year-old Clare Nowland, who died in May after allegedly being tasered by police.

The incident has led to NSW police Senior Constable Kristian White being charged with manslaughter and other offences.

Dementia sufferer Nowland, who was living in a nursing home in Cooma, NSW, had been wielding two knives as she moved around with the aid of her walkers, police allege.

Clare Nowland was allegedly tasered by police at an aged care home in Cooma.

Called to attend the scene, Senior Constable White asked Nowland to drop the knife, before saying “bugger it” and discharging his taser, police allege. She sustained a brain injury when she fell backwards and died in hospital days later.

The case will return to court next month.

The free online training will be delivered by Dementia Training Australia. It has already been adopted by seven first responder organisations across four states and the Northern Territory, with police, ambulance and health services having signed up.

It provides information and advice on dementia, its symptoms and its impact on the brain and behaviour.

“Currently, we are asking our first responders to handle challenging situations for which they may have limited preparation,” Dementia Training Australia executive director Isabelle Meyer said.

“(Through this) course they will gain a deeper understanding of how dementia affects the brain and behaviour of those living with it, providing them with the practical tools needed to identify someone who may be impacted by dementia, communicate effectively and prevent distress and escalation.”