The Truth of Elder Abuse

A poem, my experience as a whistleblower in the geriatric nursing sector, and startling statistics

ONE OF MILLIONS. Image by Hesam Link.

Cradle of Neglect

Hope springs finitely, Father Time knows no eternity
So this vessel is prepped for its passage unto unknown
Unspoken, unkindled, underworlds of worldly
Age-old questions facing old-aged bastions of infirmity
His breathing is hoarse, coarse, torse, forced and futile
Dementia envenomed his mind, but the body knows
It. Always. Knows.

Knowing no next of kin he withered and wasted under
Watchful(not) eyes of couldn’t care less confluences
Could they have been any more neglectful? Negligent?
CRACK warned whiplash whipcord on hardwood floor
For four hours he screamed yet dead men have no voice
Inhumane inhuman, a redolent number, revenue rush
Refractory factory farm.

Resident was found on the floor at 00:45 hours, he was holding his right hip. Care staff attended to him until a Registered Nurse arrived to assess for broken bones. Resident was screaming. Assessment completed, nil fracture suspected, resident was assisted back into bed and given two paracetamol. Will contact GP next week, urgent care not required.
Signed — The Status Quo

Food and water, for the body and the blood, renounced
Last Rites sans bread and wine expedited as an exodus
Sounding out cruel consonances, wards of a sick state
Of “quality standards” equating to nothing more than
Less is less, subtractions of sense and cents, suffering
He’s stiff and motionless, staring at the deafening ceiling
Wide-eyed puppet.

Pulled perniciously by a static sector stymied in perdition
Praying for the end, though drivers of the dead, morph
Morphine is one chaliced choice made by bright minds
Obscured empathy, emphatic fanaticism, febrile future
Of slow-motion sadness enveloped in soiled continence
Quilting on scolded skin, mouth sores ablaze, merciless
Take the pitiless pain away.

© Edward Swafford 2025

I’m a nurse in the private aged care sector with over ten years of experience under my belt; I’ve seen it all. Neglect, abuse, outdated care plans, and malpractice all play their part in the system.

I’m not holding back with this poem. What you have read is what I have witnessed on HUNDREDS of occasions.

In 2018, the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was tasked with a three-year investigation focusing on elder abuse, dire healthcare standards, and workforce integrity.

In response, the Aged Care Quality Standards framework was introduced by the former federal government in 2021, yet it had no impact on improving the quality of care for vulnerable residents. Nursing homes in Australia remain grossly understaffed, facility management boards continue to tighten their fiscal belts, and our elders suffer needlessly.

This isn’t an Australian issue, this isn’t an Oceania issue - it’s a GLOBAL issue.

But what the fuck can we do?!

I was a voluntary “whistleblower” for the Royal Commission, in the hopes I (and hundreds of others in the same line of work) could make a difference. I documented serious lapses in care at two aged care facilities, risking backlash from my co-workers and/or facility management.

I provided my data to the Commission after nine months of weekly documentation in 2019.

Some of my findings:

• 77% of residents at “Facility A” received nil oral and/or denture care. This figure was 57% for “Facility B”

• Mouth sores, oral thrush, gum recession, and reduced appetite were issues ignored by both clinical care teams

• 44% of sensor mats were either dysfunctional or improperly installed at “Facility A”, and this figure was 55% at “Facility B”

• Falls resulting in serious injury and/or hospitalization and/or death were higher than the national average at both facilities

• 21% of night shifts were conducted without the presence of an on-site Registered Nurse at “Facility A”, and this figure was 19% for “Facility B”

• Continence aides were not replaced at least three times in rotational 24-hour periods for ALL residents who required them. As such, 11% of residents at “Facility A” were treated for urine scolds, and this figure was 13% at “Facility B”

What is the solution to this broken system? I have no answers, no questions, only sadness.

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