The mother of a man who lives with severe disabilities has recalled the horror of discovering significant bruising on her son — who lived in a group home — after she'd made complaints about his care.
Key points:
- Karen Rogers says she noticed her son's hygiene deteriorate and made a complaint to the group home
- After making several other complaints, she says she noticed bruises on her son's body
- The director of accommodation services at the DHS agreed there was an "air of neglect" in the home
Karen Rogers has given evidence to the disability royal commission about the experiences of her son Daniel, who lived in the home run by South Australia's Department of Human Services (DHS) for 15 years.
WARNING: This story contains images that may distress some readers.
She told the inquiry there was unexplained bruising on Daniel on two occasions, firstly in October 2018 and again in February 2019.
In the latter incident, a support worker phoned and alerted Ms Rogers to the injury and a locum doctor referred Daniel to hospital to check for "internal bleeding".
Supplied
)"I was shocked to see the extent of the bruising around Daniel's waist, going from his spine to in front of his kidneys," Ms Rogers said.
The disability royal commission is holding a five-day public hearing in Adelaide, looking at the experiences of people with disability in supported accommodation settings and the responses of government and other agencies to complaints.
Daniel, now 40 years old, was not able to give evidence as he lives with autism, severe intellectual disability and epilepsy.
The inquiry heard the bruising to Daniel remains unexplained despite an investigation by both the police and the DHS.
Ms Rogers said while there were other accommodation options offered to Daniel, she and her husband decided he needed to live with them.
Signs of bruising a week after complaint
Ms Rogers told the royal commission the situation at the group home began to deteriorate in late 2016, when they took Daniel on a holiday and staff packed the incorrect clothes and medication.
She complained to the DHS and received an apology.
Supplied: Karen Rogers
)In 2017, she noticed that standards of grooming and hygiene for Daniel had dropped.
"Sometimes he was dressed in clothes that looked like they didn't belong to him," she said.
"At times he smelled, often of faeces, and had very bad breath when we came to pick him up."
Ms Rogers again raised the issue with the accommodation services manager but said there was no significant improvement.
She made another complaint when staff at the home purchased bed linen for Daniel using his money, without asking permission from his family.
She said the first signs of unexplained bruising appeared on Daniel's arm a short time later, in October 2018.
Ms Rogers told the royal commission security cameras needed to be installed in common areas of group homes, with families consulted in full.
"If it is between people seeing Daniel naked or seeing Daniel be safe in these places, and places [being held] accountable, there is no choice," she said.
'Air of neglect' at group home
The director of accommodation services at the DHS, Muriel Kirkby, agreed with the royal commission's characterisation that there was an "air of neglect" at the group home.
Supplied: Karen Rogers
)She told the inquiry she was "absolutely horrified" at aspects of the care of residents.
"Like when you opened the front door and you're met with a smell of urine," Ms Kirkby said.
She acknowledged there were poor reporting practices around injuries like the bruising found on Daniel.
The inquiry heard Ms Kirkby had apologised to the Rogers family for the incidents surrounding Daniel's care.
Ms Rogers told the inquiry she wanted to set Daniel up for the future so he would never have to live in another group home.
"We are in the process of making provisions that he will stay in our home," she said.
"It will be done properly and it will be legally done … he can stay in the house till the day he dies."
ABC News: Lincoln Rothall
)https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA2LTA4L2Rpc2FiaWxpdHktcm95YWwtY29tbWlzc2lvbi1oZWFycy1vZi1icnVpc2luZy1hZnRlci1jb21wbGFpbnRzLzEwMDE5ODk0NNIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDAxOTg5NDQ?oc=5
2021-06-08 07:26:33Z
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