By BRIDGET SCOTT
A HEARTBROKEN Cranbourne mother has pleaded for better training for carers who look after severely disabled children, after her son choked to death while in care.
Deborah Duncan’s autistic son Jesse died in 2008 after eating while unsupervised at Peninsula Access and Training Centre in Langwarrin.
Jesse, who was 19 when he died, suffered from autism, Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit disorder.
Ms Duncan recently settled a confidential claim for the psychological injuries she sustained as a result of her son’s death.
Ms Duncan, who is hearing impaired and had previously lost her four-month-old daughter to SIDS, said Jesse’s death had a devastating impact on her.
“I understand the important need for communication when dealing with disabled people given I grew up deaf and I understood that Jesse has needs in this way too,” she said.
Deborah’s mother Anita Duncan said her grandson was”quite sneaky” in a cheeky way, but that he was happy most of the time.
Jesse had attended PAST for one and a half years, however six months before his death his level of care had been reduced from one-on-one, full-time care.
His family said they were not informed that his level of supervision had been changed.
Anita Duncan said PAST received extra funding from the government to provide one-on-one care for Jesse. She said the family later found out that this had stopped because Jesse had shown good behaviour.
“They didn’t tell me or anyone about this,” she said.
“He couldn’t be left on his own, he was very high needs.”
In 2010 coroner Peter White found that on the day Jesse choked, he appeared to be happy and in good health.
He ate his lunch while supervised but then later returned to the meals room. While staff were distracted by other clients, Jesse obtained food which he hurriedly ate alone.
The coroner found he did not properly chew his food and choked as a result.
At around 12.40pm Jesse was found lying unconscious on the floor. He was resuscitated by paramedics, but two days later his life support was turned off.
The coroner found that failure to ensure direct supervision of Jesse led to an increased risk of injury and contributed to what then occurred.
However, he also found that PAST staff were very caring of Jesse, and conscientious in the performance of extremely challenging duties.
He noted with approval changes instituted at PAST, which included placement of staff at strategic locations in the facility and the requirement that staff remain at their post until replaced.
Slater and Gordon lawyer Sarah Baker said Jesse’s death should serve as a warning to those who had a responsibility of caring for people with a disability.
“This case highlights the need for communication between care providers and families given the fact that his family was not made aware of the change in care arrangements for Jesse,” she said.
“Deborah wants her case to be heard to ensure that other people would not have to suffer like her and her family have.”
