The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability recently released a commissioned research report into the use of ‘restrictive practices’. The Restrictive practices: A pathway to elimination research report, compiled by researchers from the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney says restrictive practices…
‘Ellen Louise Pence (April 15, 1948 – January 6, 2012) was an American scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and over 17 countries. A leader in both the battered women’s movement and the emerging field of institutional ethnography, she was the recipient of numerous awards…
For almost 15 years, I’ve been campaigning for ALL people with dementia to be advised the symptoms of dementia are acquired disabilities, not only a death sentence, and for all people with dementia to receive rehabilitation, immediately after diagnosis. This is to support, and even improve cognitve and functional abilities, as well as improve our…
‘How can we redress and repair violence, abuse and neglect of people living with dementia in residential aged care?’ People living with dementia have been subject to significant harm, including violence, abuse, and neglect in aged care in Australia. Yet, this harm is rarely recognised and redressed. People living with dementia in aged care, as well as…
A colleague and friend Tina Minkowitz* works towards the rights of survivors of psychiatric abuse, and runs a course for activists and allies on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from a Survivor of Psychiatry Perspective. Her article on disability and incarceration is worth a read, even if you don’t have time…
Anyone who has followed me here for a while will know that in 2008, following a diagnosis made by my neurologist of a young onset dementia, I was advised to prepare to die, via aged care respite, which I ultimately trademarked as, Prescribed Disengagement. I was not supported to live well, or positively at all,…
The Chief Executive Officer at Women’s Community Shelters, Annabelle Daniel OAM, wrote an interesting post on LinkedIn recently, which began with Albert Einstein’s quote: ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’ With the greatest of respect and with very much love for the fierce and wonderful…
I’ve been watching Episode 1 (Season 1) of the series on SBS , The Blinding of Isaac Woodard, and have just ordered the book this documentary series is based on, Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of America. Watching it felt like my story, except not for being black, but…
I’m unflinchingly determined to continue to expose what I believe to be human rights violations in particular against people living with dementia, of any age, and of our families. That someone else may not see something I beleive to be a violation, or that I am accused of being wrong, or of blaming people for…
On Ageism Awareness Day 2022, I have pledged with Every Age Counts and also here: I STAND FOR A WORLD WITHOUT AGEISM To promote awareness of violence, abuse and neglect in residential aged care in Australia (and globally, I also wish to share a blog posted this week on the Dementia Justice website, on the…
Tina Minkowitz is a lawyer in the USA, who was involved in developing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Tina is also a survivor of psyiatric abuse, and a human rights lawyer, and interested in workign towards reparations for psychiatric violence, for example, for psychiatric institutionalization and abuses such as chemical…
The summary below and a link to the full article titled “What Happens in the Brain When We Imagine the future” highlights to me, the impact of lost hope, after being Prescribed Disengagement when first diagnosed with dementia. Many years ago, I trademarked that term, after advice it would be plagiarised if I didn’t! Sadly,…
The 15th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP CRPD) was held in New York at UN headquarters on 14th-16th June. My blog today highlights an excellent COSP15 Side Event on Remedy and Reparation for Institutionalization, moderated by colleague and friend Tina Minkowitz, who is President of…
By Dementia Justice researchers Linda Steele and Kate Swaffer Today, my blog is to share a newly published journal article I co-authored with my friend and colleague, Dr Linda Steele on the human rights case for reparations for people living in aged care, with a focus on people living with dementia: Reparations for Harms Experienced in…
The CRPD Committee has published its “Draft guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies” and calls for comments on them to be submitted, by June 30th the latest! (as usual in these processes, if earlier, much better!). You can find the draft (in English) and the requirements for written comments on the CRPD Committee website here. Soon, the draft will be available…
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