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A man will face court after allegedly bashing another resident at a specialist dementia care facility catering for people with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms in Sydney’s south-west.
John Cain, 87, was in a secure garden courtyard at HammondCare’s Southwood Cottage when the incident occurred about 9pm on Wednesday.
The facility on Judd Avenue, Hammondville provides specialist care for people who are unable to be cared for in mainstream aged care settings.
Cain’s daughter Margaret told 2GB on Thursday that the family were still seeking details, but they were shocked by the horrific injuries he suffered.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve never seen anybody this beat up,” she said.
HammondCare executive general manager Jenny Summerton said Cain and his family would be offered all support necessary.
“We are extremely sorry and deeply saddened that this has occurred,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
She told Nine News that HammondCare is reviewing its dementia monitoring systems.
The facility cares for “people who are having lots of different aggression and agitation and other nocturnal behaviours that do come around from having a severe dementia diagnosis”, Summerton said.
Cain was taken to Liverpool Hospital.
Geoffrey Innes, 69, who is under police guard in hospital, is due to appear at Liverpool Local Court on Friday for a bedside hearing charged with domestic violence-related assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve never seen anybody this beat up.’
Margaret, daughter of John Cain.
He was arrested on Thursday afternoon after police started investigating the incident.
HammondCare was also in the process of preparing a serious incident report for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
The extent of Cain’s injuries meant the serious incident was probably a “priority one” case, requiring the care provider to notify the commission within 24 hours.
Commissioner Liz Hefren-Webb said earlier that the commission had been made aware of the assault.
“It is shocking to learn of any incident in a residential aged care service that has a serious impact on someone living there,” she said.
“Aged care residents have a right to receive safe, quality care, and aged care providers have clear legal responsibilities to prevent, minimise the risk of, and respond effectively to any incidents that may impact residents.
“This will be the focus of the commission’s investigation of the incident.”
HammondCare will face action if the commission determines that it has not met its legal obligations, she added.
The commission was established in 2019 to enforce standards and manage complaints amid concerns over systemic issues in the aged care sector.
Alongside the commission’s responsibilities, such as approving residential and home care providers and aged care compliance, is the administration of the compulsory reporting of assaults.
More than 30,000 notifications for serious incidents involving unreasonable use of force in residential care were made to the commission during the 2024-25 financial year. The notifications come under a broad category, which also includes alleged, suspected and potential incidents.
The HammondCare facility was last audited in July 2024 and re-accredited until November 2027. No specific areas for improvement were identified in the audit.
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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