deterioration in cognitive function<\/a> and occurs in the late afternoon or evening. [The patient\u2019s] medication regime was adjusted, and this was helpful in reducing his agitation. Staff were aware of this behaviour and would redirect and distract [the patient].\u201d<\/p>\nOn the evening of November 9, 2023, Beets was seated at a table with two other residents near a bookshelf. The other patient was sitting at a different table with other residents.<\/p>\n
A nurse said she was walking along a corridor when she heard the emergency alarm went off, so she ran back to the dementia lounge.<\/p>\n
She saw Beets lying on his back near the bookshelf and the other patient was \u201con his knees with Mr Beets\u201d.<\/p>\n
The patient was shouting at Beets and was pointing at him with his hand \u201clike the gesture you use to tell a person off\u201d.<\/p>\n
A caregiver said she was looking at some medication alongside a colleague and could hear some residents talking as well as the sound of chairs moving behind her and the patient shouting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn her peripheral vision she saw [the patient] near Mr Beets\u2019 table. They were both standing, facing each other and [the patient] was holding Mr Beets\u2019 collar. Mr Beets stepped backwards away from [the patient] and fell on to the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described seeing the patient kneeling next to Beets with his arm raised and his fist clenched.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Beets was screaming in pain and [the patient] was yelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The caregiver ran over and told the patient to stop and helped him to stand up. Another staffer got the patient away from the area.<\/p>\n
The caregiver then noticed the dining chair Beets had been sitting on was on the floor, and thought he may have tripped over it.<\/p>\n
The other caregiver who was also looking at the medication reported seeing both men standing face to face by the bookshelf.<\/p>\n
The patient was holding Beets\u2019 shirt collar. She described the patient as holding his right arm up with a closed fist.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe then saw Mr Beets take two to three steps backwards, trip over a dining chair that was behind him, and fall to the ground.\u201d She also saw the patient fall to the ground.<\/p>\n
Beets was eventually transferred to Hutt Hospital where he underwent hip surgery the following day. There were no complications from the surgery; however, his health declined in the days afterwards and he developed aspiration pneumonia. Beets died on November 20.<\/p>\n
A falls investigation report, carried out by Bupa, recommended new registered nurses receive further education to increase their knowledge of the fall prevention management in the dementia unit. The shared learning lessons part of the review said the unit had a staff meeting about early detection and intervention of residents in an altercation and ensuring clear documentation of an event and management.<\/p>\n
Police sought an expert opinion from a consultant psychiatrist as part of its investigation. The psychiatrist said the patient would be \u201centirely unable to understand the charge, nature, purpose or consequences of court proceedings, unable to instruct defence counsel, unable to enter a plea and unable to participate in a hearing\u201d.<\/p>\n
It was his opinion that the patient would be unfit to stand trial. Police decided not to charge the man with manslaughter. As part of the investigation, police spoke with Beets\u2019 family who said they did not want anyone charged adding \u201cthe best outcome is to ensure this doesn\u2019t happen again to other families, in Stokeswood, or any care facility\u201d.<\/p>\n
Coroner Thomas said Beets\u2019 family had questioned the circumstances surrounding his fall to understand whether anything could have been done to prevent it.<\/p>\n
A Coroners Court clinical adviser reviewed the evidence and said the incident was \u201cvery unfortunate but unpredictable and not preventable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough incidents like this can be assumed at some level to probably have some sort of trigger in the person\u2019s mind, it is often impossible, even in retrospect, to identify what it was. I am of the view, based on the provided information, that the staff provided very good care for [the patient], and did everything in their power to prevent the assault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coroner Thomas said her assessment of the evidence in the inquiry revealed a \u201ctragic outcome that was preceded by a sudden eruption of anger without a known cause or warning\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe staff had been actively managing [the patient\u2019s] behaviour in the unit, but tragically on this occasion with no warning of a change in [the patient\u2019s] behaviour, and both staff momentarily facing away from where the incident started, there was not enough time for staff to pre-emptively intervene and redirect [the patient] before he had grabbed Mr Beets by his collar. This incident took the staff by surprise, was unpredictable and I do not find the staff could have done more to prevent this altercation and therefore the tragic consequences that followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement to RNZ, Beets\u2019 family said he was a \u201cmuch-loved\u201d husband, father, Grandad and Poppa who was \u201cvery practical, mechanically capable and a friend to many in Petone\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a very caring man, had a great laugh and was always willing to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beets was diagnosed with dementia formally in early 2021, and as he deteriorated, the family decided that he go into fulltime care in August 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cDementia is a terrible disease for both the individual and their family. As is expressed in the report, we have never wanted the other party who also suffered from this disease to be charged or punished for this incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was important for us as a family was to see if there were lessons to be learnt which may prevent another family suffering a loss in the same way. We appreciate the thorough work done by both the Police and the Coroner, especially that the specific questions we asked were addressed within her report. We also note the internal review that the Care Facility undertook which resulted in additional training and support being put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Bupa spokesperson said it acknowledged the coroner\u2019s findings and the conclusion that this incident was \u201cunpredictable and surprising\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts remain with Mr Beets\u2019 family, and we recognise the distress this event caused them. Moments like this are profoundly sad for everyone involved, and we continue to extend our sincere sympathy to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aged Care Association chief executive Tracey Martin said in a statement to RNZ the case highlighted a \u201cbroader and growing reality\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cAged residential care is supporting residents with increasingly complex behavioural and clinical needs, particularly within dementia care settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cDementia units are caring for people with significant behavioural and psychological symptoms, often in environments that were not originally designed for the intensity of today\u2019s care requirements. As the acuity of residents rises, so too does the need for workforce support, training, clinical backup, and appropriate funding settings.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said while the coroner had not made recommendations, the case reinforced the importance of \u201ccontinued investment in dementia capability, staff training, and system settings that recognise the complexity of modern aged care\u201d.<\/p>\n
Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel said as New Zealand\u2019s median age continued to rise, the number of people living with dementia was also expected to grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile fatal incidents within dementia units remain rare, resident\u2011on\u2011resident assaults do occur from time to time that require police investigation. This can be a difficult and sad situation to deal with for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
People living with dementia often experienced significant cognitive impairment, meaning they may not fully comprehend their actions or form the intent required to be held criminally responsible, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result, the evidential test for prosecution is frequently not met, and pursuing criminal charges is unlikely to be in the public interest. Police assess these matters carefully and in close consultation with medical specialists, care providers, and legal advisers. In cases involving a death the coroner is also consulted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nurses and caregivers said Beets was a \u201cgentleman\u201d and a \u201clovely guy\u201d. In August 2023, Beets was assessed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1975,173625,3013,13239,799,307,2109,42,293,3375,43,193,1597,33229,15768,223,40,38,41,39,8443,4524,6736],"class_list":["post-321347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-at","tag-beets","tag-but","tag-charged","tag-dementia","tag-dont","tag-family","tag-headlines","tag-his","tag-killed","tag-news","tag-other","tag-patient","tag-robin","tag-sherwood","tag-the","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-unit","tag-want","tag-was"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}