A 99-year-old dementia patient died after being assaulted in his rest home bedroom by another resident suffering from dementia, a coroner has found. Leonard Ralph Hewgill suffered a head injury in the attack at the Ryman Healthcare-run Hilda Ross Retirement Village in Hamilton and died in hospital three days later. Coroner Dunn said Hewgill was a resident at Hilda Ross Special Care Unit, a 40-bedroom unit offering specialist dementia care. The care provided by Hilda Ross is paid care, residents are often vulnerable, and families place their trust in the residential care provider." ​"This resulted in changes across all our dementia care units, reinforcing our commitment to providing safe, respectful, high-quality care.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 15, 2026 20:51 UTC