Elderly woman died after aggressive aged care incident, prompting call for more research

A coroner says there is need for more research into aggression between aged care residents following the tragic death of an elderly woman from a Geelong facility.

A coroner has called for more data and research concerning aggression in aged care following the tragic death of an elderly Geelong woman.

According to the coroner’s report, the 84-year-old woman died at Geelong hospital in September 2020 following an incident with a fellow resident at the facility where she lived in the region.

Her cause of death was listed as complications of pelvic fractures sustained in a traumatic incident.

On September 6, 2020, the woman, who had dementia, approached a male resident and slapped his hands while he was holding a sandwich.

The man swore at the woman and extended his left forearm, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward toward the female resident.

He then thrust his left arm toward her, which caused her to fall backward into a hand basin and onto the floor, the coroner’s report said.

The incident was captured on CCTV.

Staff provided first aid to the woman and initially observed some minor injuries.

The female resident complained of lower back pain and a general practitioner advised she be taken to hospital.

The woman was taken to Geelong hospital and was found to have fractures, acute kidney injury and raised C-reactive protein and white cell count suggestive of infection.

She was treated but deteriorated, and a chest x-ray showed bilateral pneumonia.

The resident was transferred to end of life care, and died on September 16, 2020.

Her medical history included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease and osteoarthritis.

The coroner’s report said the fellow resident, who the woman slapped, had a severe cognitive impairment and had been diagnosed with dementia.

“He had a history of aggressive behaviour with both staff and fellow residents,” the report said.

“His condition meant that he was unable to moderate his behaviour and emotional responses.”

He was transferred to another facility and had not been charged in relation to the woman’s death, the report said.

“Resident-to-resident aggression in aged care facilities is a theme that arises somewhat regularly in this court,” deputy state coroner Caitlin English wrote.

“Where an aged care facility provides care to a cohort of residents with similar behavioural issues, violence or aggression can easily erupt due to poor impulse control.

“It is a dilemma that must be addressed now in a country in which the population is ageing rapidly.”

Ms English wrote the coroners’ court had previously considered this issue and the theme that commonly arose in these cases was that more research was needed to determine best practices.

“In order for this to happen, resident-to-resident aggression incidents and data needs to captured clearly and in a useful way,” she said

The report noted a Serious Incident Response Scheme, administered by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, started in April last year.

“The SIRS will go some way to informing change in the provision of aged care services to address and prevent resident-to-resident aggression,” Ms English said.

Originally published as Elderly woman died after aggressive aged care incident, prompting call for more research