89-year-old woman beaten to death by fellow nursing home resident

An 89-year-old woman was beaten to death by a dementia sufferer eight weeks after arriving at a care home.

Joan Hobbs died after an 86-year-old male patient entered her room and bashed her with his walking frame on July 15 at IRT Thomas Holt Aged Care Centre.

Both residents were dementia patients at the Kirrawee-based nursing home near Sydney, Australia.

Ms. Hobbs’ daughter Erin Mulholland previously cared for her mother for six years before reluctantly enrolling her into the home, after doctors advised her that due to her worsening condition, she required around-the-clock care.

“Eight weeks later, she’s dead,” Ms Mulholland told 7NEWS.

The family was notified of the situation by a text from staff.

Straight after reading the text, Ms. Mulholland and her sister Terri Hobbs were rushed to Sutherland Hospital where their mom was in critical condition.

The women told the news program their mother sustained “devastating” injuries including serious bruising on her face and broken bones in her arm which were “shattered all the way down”.

“When I saw the physical condition she was in, the injuries, I just fell apart,” Ms. Hobbs said.

“Her left eye was swollen shut, you could see wounds on her arms, like defense wounds.”

Due to the extent of her injuries, the daughters’ only option was to sit with her and “wait until she died” because there was no way of saving her.

“I’m just mortified, absolutely stunned that something like this could happen,” Ms. Mulholland said.

“She wouldn’t understand what was happening, how frightened she must have been, terrified in those final moments.”

The sisters added they wouldn’t wish something like this to happen to their worst enemy.

Ms. Mulholland and Ms. Hobbs are now calling on the authorities to urgently investigate the matter, claiming such a tragic situation wouldn’t have happened if there was more staff supervision.

While they don’t blame the nursing home or the man who injured their mother, they said the system had failed her.

“There are not enough nurses on the floors and that’s a government issue they need to address,” Ms. Mulholland said.

“We need more nurses per patient.

“How many more have to die before we do something?”

The family is not pressing charges against the man responsible, stating his family perhaps is already suffering enough.

While they can’t do anything to bring their mother back, the women hope their story motivates the government and the relative authorities to implement changes to avoid a similar situation happening to another family.

IRT has confirmed it has “reported the incident to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.”

A police investigation is also underway with a NSW Police spokesperson telling news.com.au police are preparing a report for the coroner.

“Emergency services were called to an aged care facility in Kirrawee about 8.30 pm on Saturday, July 15, following reports a resident had been injured,” they said.

“Officers from Sutherland Police Area Command attended, along with ambulance officers, and located an 89-year-old woman with injuries to her head, arm, and chest.

“The woman was taken to Sutherland Hospital where she died on Thursday, July 20.

“Police have been told the woman was assaulted by another resident.”