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Hidden camera reveals disturbing elder abuse.

Hidden camera footage taken by Noleen Hausler shows a carer appearing to try to “suffocate” her father, Clarence, 89, at the Mitcham Residential Care Facility.

The video, aired Monday night on the ABC’s 7.30, shows Mr Hausler fighting back as the carer repeatedly stuffs a napkin in his mouth and over his nose in September last year.

It also shows the carer violently force-feeding Mr Hausler, sneezing on him and hitting him on the head. Mr Hausler is bedridden with dementia.

The carer, Corey Lyle Lucas, 29, of Camden Park, pleaded guilty in the Adelaide Magistrates Court to two counts of aggravated assault and was convicted last month. He received a six-month jail sentence, with one month imprisonment.

The remainder was suspended on the condition he complete a 18-month good behaviour bond.

Hidden camera captures abuse at Adelaide nursing home

Ms Hausler told The Advertiser she believed Lucas would have served only “a matter of weeks”.

Ms Hausler took the drastic step of hiding a camera after becoming increasingly concerned about her father’s behaviour and noticing he had bruising and bloodshot eyes from crying.

Dissatisfied with the home’s response to her and worried about the carer’s evasive manner, she hid the tiny spy camera in her father’s room and was devastated to see the shocking abuse in what was supposed to be a sanctuary, reporting it to Sturt Police.

Rather than thanking her for exposing the violent abuse, home operator Japara Healthcare threatened Ms Hausler with breaching the Privacy Act, Video Surveillance Act and the Aged Care acts.

“I’ve been told if I put a camera in there again, it will be confiscated and the police will be called,” Ms Hausler said.

Dementia patient Clarence Hausler, suffered abuse at the hands of his carer.Source:Supplied

Corey Lucas.Source:Supplied

“I’ve kept my father at Mitcham because I think it was the person doing this despicable acts rather than the institution, but we need change — I would like to see a clause in the tenancy agreement that says if a family has concerns they can put monitoring equipment in.”

Ms Hausler said she released the vision to the media as a last resort.

“I asked for a meeting with Attorney-General John Rau to go through what is actually allowed and what the various acts stipulate as far as using a monitor goes but received a letter saying a meeting was not appropriate and to seek legal advice instead,” she said.

“I want to see change — these people are sitting targets for people who feel the power to abuse them in the privacy of a bedroom.

“That abuse can take many forms and the victims don’t have a voice — monitoring equipment would give them that voice and protect them from deplorable behaviour.

“Facilities doing the right thing can still have grey areas and you won’t get change unless families are allowed to put monitoring equipment in private rooms.”

Premier Jay Weatherill on Tuesday said authorities should “consider all options”, including surveillance monitoring, to ensure aged care residents were safe.

“I understand the person involved (in the abuse of Mr Hausler) has been dealt with through the criminal justice system but I think we need other safeguards,” Mr Weatherill said.

“There obviously needs to be the training and monitoring of the way in which people are employed and screened for employment, but I think we do need to give consideration for other technological measures.

Corey Lucas. Pic: FacebookSource:Supplied

“We’re certainly prepared to engage in a discussion with the Commonwealth Government about the matter.”

Mr Weatherill said people should be able to trust paid carers with the welfare of older relatives.

“When we put our loved ones in aged care facilities they’re only there because they are too frail to be cared for at home - that means they are inherently vulnerable,” he said.

“What we rely on is that they are going to be cared for there and we certainly expect that they will not be the subject of abuse.”

The State Opposition said it would support allowing surveillance cameras in aged care facilities.

Opposition Deputy Leader Vickie Chapman said on Tuesday that it was “appalling” that elderly residents were being “abused in their own homes” .

It was “clear that we need o introduce legislation to allow surveillance devices to be used to help prevent (this) abuse”, she said.

Ms Chapman said nursing home residents should be able to install video equipment in their rooms to protect themselves - even though the property was owned by someone else.

She said this should be done at the instigation of the resident and with the consent of their guardian, if necessary.

Notice should be given to the operators of the nursing home and signs erected to warn people that they would be filmed, Ms Chapman said.

However it was not clear if the permission of the aged care facility owner should be needed.

It was also unclear who should be responsible for operating the surveillance camera and monitoring the recordings if the resident was unable to do it themselves.

Ms Chapman said the Opposition was seeking a meeting with the Government to flesh out the detail of any proposed legislation.

Asked about the legality of making such a covert recording, Ms Chapman said changes could be needed to the Surveillance Devices Act to state that recordings made to protect aged care residents were inherently in the public interest.

​Federal Assistant Health and Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said he would be willing to see cameras installed in residents’ rooms, provided that the residents agreed and state laws were complied with.

​”The issue surrounding the usage of surveillance devices, including cameras in residents’ rooms, is a matter for the approved provider and relevant care recipient and is governed by the relevant state and territory legislation​,’’ Mr Wyatt said.​”​

“Under Commonwealth law, aged care providers must balance each care recipient’s right to privacy and dignity with the care recipient’s right to live without exploitation and abuse.”​

​Mr Wyatt said the Mitcham home had met a requirement to inform the Federal Department of Health within 24 hours of the attack on Mr Hausler occurring.

Mr Wyatt said he was very concerned about the care of Mr Hausler and anyone with concerns about aged care services should contact the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner.

Mr Rau on Monday would not comment on the case, but said that if the operators of a care facility and family agreed to installing a surveillance device, “that would be a matter for them”.

“If they did not agree and a device was installed covertly the family would need legal advice,” he said.

“A provision is made in the surveillance act for a covert device if it is in the public interest. The Crown does not provide private citizens with legal advice, so again it would be a matter for the family.”

A still taken from the shocking footage, appearing to document the abuse of elderly man Clarence Hausler. Picture: Noleen Hausler/7.30.Source:Supplied

Mr Hausler has been at the facility since 2002 when it was run by Whelan Care.

The Hauslers’ lawyer, Adair Donaldson, of abuse survivor specialists Donaldson Law, agreed the best way to protect vulnerable people was installation of monitoring equipment.

“We were all shocked when we saw the video — you can imagine how Ms Hausler felt,” he said.

“It is every child’s worst nightmare to see your elderly parent abused, just as having your child abused is every parent’s nightmare.

“The home’s operators will say it was a rogue, but what we need — to make sure rogues are weeded out — is the ability to put in monitoring equipment to protect the most vulnerable.”

Mitcham Residential Care referred inquiries to the Melbourne head office.

In a statement, an Aged Care Services Australia Group spokeswoman said the company was “shocked, concerned and saddened” to learn of the incident in September 2015.

“This was a rogue act by someone who has now been criminally prosecuted,” she said.

“This conduct is not tolerated by our organisation and is completely at odds with the care, dedication and commitment displayed by the over 4,500 nurses, carers and other staff across our homes every day.

“We reiterate our sincere apologies to the resident and his family.

“As soon as we became aware of the incident, the individual was immediately suspended and we have assisted with the police investigation which has since led to a conviction.

“The provision of high quality care to our residents is our absolute priority. When we purchased the business from Whelan Care, we took over all of their staff and we have subsequently increased overall staffing levels.

“The issue of whether cameras should be permitted in residents’ private bedrooms and bathrooms is an extremely complex one, especially as many residents are toileted, changed and showered in these areas.

“It raises important questions about consent, and the privacy and dignity of all residents.

“While we have cameras in common areas in our homes, we don’t have any plans to introduce them into residents’ private bedrooms and bathrooms.”

The company sent Ms Hausler a letter of apology after their initial threats about her breaching various acts.

An Aged Care Complaints Commissioner spokeswoman said under the Aged Care Act they could not give any information about whether action had been taken against Japara Healthcare or the facility.

“We can’t even acknowledge whether there has been a case,” she said.

The Mitcham Residential Care Facility where the assault occurred. Picture: Tait SchmaalSource:News Corp Australia

Staff arriving at the Mitcham Residential Care Facility on Tuesday declined to comment about the incident.

A private GP, who has visited the home for almost 10 years, said “it was appalling to think that that could happen to any of our elderly residents”.

“I was absolutely sickened,” she said. “No human could feel any other way.”

John Rattley, 75, from Gilberton, regularly visited his 91-year-old uncle at the facility.

He said he was first alerted to the incident involving Lucas when he received a phone call from his sister in Melbourne on Monday night.

“We didn’t know about it at all,” he said.

Mr Rattley said the revelation came as a shock because his uncle and late aunt had experienced good care over the past six years.

He commended Mr Hausler’s daughter for coming forward and said the legalisation of CCTV cameras in private rooms was “inevitable”.

“I think (Noleen) was very brave, given that it’s a law that’s been completely overlooked,” he said.

“The people here are very frail, and I think it is a wake up call for the industry - perhaps they should have video surveillance.”

John Rattley regularly visits his uncle at the Mitcham Residential Care Facility. Picture: Tait SchmaalSource:News Corp Australia

Mr Rattley said the home had informed him about incidents involving his uncle, including several times he has fallen out of bed, and when he jarred his hand against a door on Monday.

“He’s happy and he’s well cared for, that’s why it was a real shock - the people are really good there ... (the incident was) just one bad egg,” he said.

The brother of another resident said the incident was “concerning for me for all the facilities every where”.

Kevin Shizabi, who delivers medication to the facility, said he was shocked to see the patient, who he recognized, assaulted.

He said, as a worker, it would be fine if he was filmed while on the property, and that the installation of private CCTV cameras in resident’s rooms should be legalized.

“I’d be for that, definitely, it would be a deterrent for carers, and even carers who go into people’s homes to make sure they don’t do anything like that,” he said.

Corey Lucas’s neighbour Alison Rogers speaks to the media. Picture: Mike BurtonSource:Supplied

Neighbour Alison Rodgers on Tuesday told The Advertiser that Lucas had lived in the same apartment block for two years but she had not seen him for about two weeks.

She knew he worked at an aged care facility and did not believe he was capable of harming a vulnerable person until she saw the video of his actions.

“It was pretty shocking ... I would never think he’d do something like that. He’s normally quite nice,” she said.

“It’s just really upsetting. If you see something like that happening to one of your relatives you’d be pretty upset.

“Seeing someone doing so thing like that to an elderly person.

“I don’t really know the whole story ... it looked pretty shocking.

“For someone to do that to an old person who appeared to have dementia.’

Ms Rodgers said it would be difficult to work in aged care facilities but there was no excuse for Lucas’ behaviour.

“I imagine the job is frustrating sometimes but you don’t act like that to someone who’s vulnerable and can’t defend themselves.”

Ms Rodgers said Lucas told her about a month ago that he was going to Victoria for holidays and had been away for several weeks.