95 yr old nursing home resident tasered, dies

[Emergent, RN]

 

The lady also used a walker, according to the article. Are the police that incompetent that they have to use a taser on a 95-year-old lady using a walker? Of course she fell and had a massive brain bleed.

95-year-old nursing home resident tased by Australian police, dies

Quote

Clare Nowland was critically injured after police responded to reports she was wandering around the home with a steak knife at about 04:00 last Wednesday.

New South Wales Police (NSW) said she died "surrounded by family and loved ones".

The officer who Tasered Mrs Nowland has been charged with assault.

The 33-year-old senior constable will face court in early July on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

 

[JKL33]

I wonder what is the reason the staff didn't just get the steak knife from her much in the same way one would manage to get a hairbrush or blanket or other personal item away from a patient to whom it doesn't belong. I'm thinking of dementia patients, though the article does not state anything about that. But distraction, various conversational approaches, or just waiting for her to put it down....lots of different approaches can be both successful and (relatively) unlikely to cause anyone harm.

Too bad the article doesn't say why the cops were called in the first place.

Either there's a lot of bad judgment here or some things left out. Actually maybe both.