The sad case of 95-year-old Clare Nowland – allegedly tasered by a police officer last week at her Cooma aged care home – has made headlines around the world.

Weighing just 45 kilograms and leaning on a walking frame, Ms Nowland passed away in hospital last night after falling and hitting her head.

As we report in this issue, the 33-year-old police officer has now been charged with three offences while the circumstances of the incident are investigated.

The case has raised serious questions about whether police force should ever be used against aged care residents living with dementia – and whether police should have been called at all.

Under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s (ASQSC) Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS), aged care providers must report Priority 1 incidents – for example, a physical or psychological injury, unexpected deaths and unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct – to police within 24 hours “where there are reasonable grounds to do so.”

“Reporting to police in relation to criminal conduct should occur regardless of whether the incident is alleged or suspected to have occurred,” states the Commission’s website.

Certainly, cases of alleged or suspected physical, sexual and psychological injuries demand police involvement.

But for cases of behaviour management, surely this should be a last resort?

6.2 reportable incidents for every 10,000 occupied bed days

We understand that in many cases, it is the emergency services that contact the police – not the aged care home.

While the full details of the incident have yet to be uncovered, it is worth recalling that SIRS was introduced in response to the shutdown of the Government-run Oakden Older Persons Mental Health facility in 2017 which led to a raft of State and National enquiries and ultimately the Royal Commission.

The scheme was intended to address the most serious allegations, including neglect, psychological or emotional abuse and inappropriate physical or chemical restraints.

We had a look at the latest data for SIRS on the Commission’s website.

For July-September 2022, there were 4,105 Priority 1 incidents reported under the scheme – 2,120 for the “unreasonable use of force”.

Overall, there were 6.2 reportable incidents for every 10,000 occupied bed days – a relatively low figure.

The fact is that serious incidents are still a relatively rare occurrence in residential care.

But it is clear from this terrible case – and the others that have emerged in recent days – that there is a need for greater awareness around dementia behaviours and their management.

Let’s ensure this tragedy is not a repeated event.