Place found in home for malnourished elderly widow

A PLACE in a nursing home has been found for an elderly woman with advanced dementia, who was taken from her home by order of the High Court after she was found to be severely malnourished and dirty.

Her family had sought help from the court after being told by medics that nothing could be done for her unless she suffered a serious fall at home which incapacitated her.

Judge Peter Kelly noted yesterday that the woman, in her 80s, weighed just 40kg on her admission to hospital last week. He said she had to be washed and changed by nurses, but ‘mercifully’ it did not appear she had broken bones or severe ulceration.

The court heard the widow had aggressively resisted the efforts of her carers to feed and clean her. Judge Kelly said she had also resisted the transfer to hospital from her home, and had required mild sedation, but had since settled.

Her son said she was diagnosed with dementia last year, and that he had tried in vain to have two doctors certify that she lacks the required mental capacity to look after herself. One had told her that her ‘freedom trumps safety’, he said.

Judge Kelly directed that the woman be hospitalised following her son’s application to make her a ward of court. When the case came for review yesterday, he was told that a nursing home place is available for when the woman leaves hospital.