The case of an Adelaide female who died after being left by carers in a cane chair 24- hours-a-day for a year reveals the community still does not value people with impairments as much as it should, advocates say.
Bottom line:
- Ann-Marie Smith died in ‘disgusting and deteriorating’ scenarios in April
- She had actually been living in a walking stick chair in her house for at least a year
- A royal commission into the treatment of people with specials needs is being held
They state neighbours and carers ought to have raised concerns with authorities before Ann-Marie Smith died last month
Ms Smith, 54, died on April 6 of severe septic shock, multi-organ failure, serious pressure sores, malnutrition and issues connected with her spastic paralysis.
She had not left her house in upmarket Kensington Park for “a number of years”, SA Cops said.
Her death, which Detective Superintendent Des Bray described as taking place in “revolting and degrading scenarios”, is now the subject of a m