Harrowing new details emerge of elderly woman, 84, bashed at retirement village
The daughter of an elderly woman who was attacked in her bedroom at a retirement village in Sydney's north says her mother "doesn't want to be in this world anymore" because she feels so unsafe.
Patricia, an 84-year-old great-grandmother who had only moved into the North Turramurra facility six weeks ago, came face-to-face with a stranger when she returned to her room on Saturday afternoon.
The man assaulted Patricia before fleeing, police said.
She was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition and with multiple injuries, including a fractured nose, bleeding on her brain and cuts to her face, chest and arm.
She continues to undergo treatment at Sydney Adventist Hospital.
Patricia's daughter Caroline said her mother was recently widowed and only moved into the retirement village six weeks ago – three weeks of which she was overseas, arriving back to her new home days before the attack.
"This has been a very, very shocking and distressing event in our family and mum is a very, very strong lady, and we will help her get over this, hopefully, and get her home again," she told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
"But this should never, ever, ever happen to the most vulnerable of vulnerable in our community and we are absolutely outraged, appalled."
Caroline described her mother as an "eloquent, proud, wonderful human being".
Patricia's husband died in April, an event which she is still grieving, Caroline said.
"And now she's got to grieve the loss of her independence and her safety and her security in a home that she'd just moved into. She'd only been there six weeks," she said.
"I feel so sad that my mum, who is 84, who's just lost her husband, is now in a position where she just doesn't want to be in this world anymore because she just feels so unsafe."
Detectives said on Wednesday they would like to speak to a man seen in the area at the time of the incident.
He is described as about 175cm tall, of Asian or Sub-Continental appearance and clean shaven, and was wearing light-coloured pants and a button-up shirt and tie with a jacket.
Caroline said the attacker was "the lowest of the low" and urged the person to come forward.
"Don't be a coward. Do the right thing so that our family can heal," she said.
Acting Superintendent Patrick Sharkey told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday police were working with the retirement village to suggest ways it could improve security arrangements.
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