Docker River death puts aged care failings in spotlight
By Suzanne Smith for Lateline (exclusive)
Sep 22, 2008
It was bitterly cold during the night of June 14 2007, in the remote Aboriginal community of Docker River, 300 kilometres from Uluru in the Northern Territory.
Dementia sufferer Dulcie Brumby, 72, was one of the residents at the community's aged care home.
Coroner's findings
The findings by Northern Territory deputy coroner, Doctor Celia Kemp, into Dulcie Brumby's death were obtained by ABC TV's Lateline program for this story.Her report revealed that residents at the home were unsupervised from 6pm until 6am because the home did not provide staff to care for patients
Questions raised
The Docker River aged care facility is one of 30 special Indigenous homes across the country.
Dulcie Brumby's death raises serious questions about how the Commonwealth Government could have funded this facility despite the fact there was no overnight supervision of patients.
Lilian Jeter, executive director of the Elder Abuse Prevention Association, says the situation in Docker River is against the law.
Abridged
SOURCE: ABC Online Australia
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