An 85-year-old woman with dementia was tormented by two aged care staff who bashed her doll which she "believed to be a real baby", according to the NSW medical watchdog.
The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has found then-nursing assistant Elizabeth Daniher instigated and encouraged her colleague to slam a therapy doll's head over a dining room table in front of a patient at the Junee Multipurpose Service, 40 kilometres north-east of Wagga Wagga, in 2021.
Her colleague, a registered and enrolled nurse who has not been named, has also been investigated, but findings are yet to be released.
The HCCC found the pair knew the elderly patient had an emotional connection with the doll and that the incident impacted the woman's emotional and mental wellbeing, causing her "great mental distress".
Ms Daniher is no longer employed at the Junee MPS and has been barred from providing any health services for at least three months.
She must complete an abuse of older people course, reflect on her practice, and undergo a risk assessment before returning.
Woman 'cried out' for them to stop
The watchdog's findings stated that in December 2021 the employees were with the patient in the aged care facility's dining room when they began to "terrorise" her by banging a doll's head against the table.
The aged care resident suffered from dementia and regularly engaged in doll therapy, in which a patient cares for dolls as though they were real babies.
Witness statements claimed the women were laughing at the time, despite the elderly woman being in clear distress and "crying out" for them to stop.
One witness said they saw Ms Daniher and her colleague "deliberately dropping the toy babies on the floor, banging their heads on the table, twisting, distorting their arms and legs around in full view of residents".
An employee at the facility claimed she found the distressed elderly woman in the dining room at 9pm that night where she was "checking the babies [were] safe".
Investigations ongoing
In a public statement on the judgement the HCCC's executive director Tony Kofkin said Ms Daniher failed to provide health services in a safe and ethical manner.
"The commission … considers that Ms Daniher poses a risk to the health and safety of members of the public," he said.
Ms Daniher was previously a nursing student at Charles Sturt University but was no longer enrolled at the time of the incident.
"Her work at the facility in question was not related to her previous studies," a CSU spokesperson said.
According to the HCCC, the other employee involved has been subject to a finalised investigation, but decisions around disciplinary action are ongoing.
The Murrumbidgee Local Health District has issued an apology to residents over the incident, which it investigated at the time, and reported to the HCCC.
A spokesperson said the district was "deeply sorry" for any distress suffered by residents, and confirmed Ms Daniher was no longer employed by the district.
