My father, Ivan Rocchi, passed away on September 11th from an extensive bed sore, which was badly infected due to the neglect and improper care of the care home he was in. The extent of his sore was beyond your worst nightmare. Watching his light go out, his excruciating pain, and being helpless to stop it was pure torture.

Australian law does not recognise claims of wrongful death in the courts, so when my dad died, any claim for justice he might have had died with him.

This is why I am calling on the Federal Government to stand by their commitment to aged care: reform the law to recognise claims of wrongful death in nursing homes and aged care facilities.

Currently, medical negligence claims can only be made for psychological injuries sustained by the family members of the deceased. The lack of legal recourse for medical negligence against older Australians is an act of discrimination and cruelty.

My father's sore was so bad that the hospital asked us to make a decision: either amputate his leg, or put him into palliative care and let him go. My sister and I couldn't ask our dad what he wanted as he was left speechless and partially paralysed after a major stroke in 2014. Moreover, by this time, he was also very, very ill and barely conscious. We had to make this heartbreaking decision on our own. What we had to endure all the years after his stroke could never prepare us for what we experienced in his final days.

My dad deserved proper care, and instead was humiliated and made to suffer for months on end. We all believe these kinds of things will never happen to us. Not to our parents, our brothers, our sisters, our grandparents, our friends, and especially not to ourselves... but let me tell you, this was exactly what I thought until it happened to me.

Please sign this petition not only for my father, but for the many elderly, disabled and other nursing home residents who sadly and painfully die from bed wounds every year with no real justice.

The care home’s direct actions or inactions caused my father’s death. For his death to be recognised, the law must change.

Thank you.

Cinzia