Clare Nowland: 95-year-old dementia patient tasered by Australian police still critical, but stable

A 95-year-old dementia patient who was tasered by a police officer in New South Wales, Australia, last week remains in a “heavy sleep” and is comfortable, surrounded by her family, the Guardian reported.

Clare Nowland is receiving end-of-life care in Cooma district hospital and continues to remain in critical condition with head injuries sustained as she fell back after being hit by a taser.

On Sunday, she was surrounded by her family and well-wishers who held prayers for her wellbeing which were conducted by parish priest Mark Croker sleep.

“At the same time, I think she knows that family are around her and one of them said in the last couple of days she took one of the family members’ hand and just kissed them on the hand,” Croker told the Guardian.

“A couple of times she has squeezed the hand of one of the family’s members. She is comfortable anyway, that is the main point.”

Croker said that the family is aware of the realities of her condition.

“I think they’re realistic and that Mum’s probably instilled that into them in their faith and belief in a life beyond here,” he said.

Police maintain stoic silence

Questions are being raised about the police officer’s action. Many are calling for a broader independent investigation of police treatment of dementia sufferers after a report by the Guardian revealed that six officers handcuffed a second nursing home resident, Rachel Grahame, in 2020 after she took a staff member’s lanyard.

Criticism was particularly directed against New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb, who made no reference to the tasering incident in the initial statement released by police in the Nowland case.

The statement had only mentioned that there had been an “incident” between the nonagenarian and officers.

Defending the decision, Webb on Monday said, “It was necessary for us to make sure that the family were aware of what the circumstances were.”

“We didn’t want the family to hear on radio and TV what had happened to their mum, so we had to be a bit sensitive to that and when we were able to talk about it, we did,” she added.

The incident took place on Wednesday morning after police were called to the Yallambee Lodge aged care home in Cooma after Nowland was found by staff holding a steak knife.

After officers failed to get the 43 kg woman to drop the knife, an experienced officer with 12 years in the service used the Taser on her, causing Nowland to fall and hit her head.

(With inputs from agencies)