Then-senior constable Kristian James Samuel White fired his weapon at 95-year-old Clare Nowland after being called to Yallambee Lodge nursing home at Cooma in southern NSW on May 17, 2023.
The 48kg great-grandmother, who had symptoms of dementia, had taken two steak knives from a kitchen area and refused to give them up.
Falling and hitting her head after being struck in the chest by the Taser's barbs, she did not regain consciousness and died in hospital a week later after a brain bleed.
Police forces around the country were invited to use a program teaching first responders how to de-escalate situations involving people with dementia, an inquest into Mrs Nowland's death heard on Thursday.
But only the NT Police Force had taken up the offer from the government-funded Dementia Training Australia, the organisation's executive director Isabelle Meyer said.
While she refrained from telling police what they needed to include in their training, she told Queanbeyan Coroners Court her organisation was happy to provide clinical support officers could use in the field.
NSW Police mental health command boss Superintendent Kirsty Hales explained the force did not adopt training packages such as those offered by Dementia Training Australia because training needed to be fit-for purpose.
She conceded there were potentially topics within Dementia Training Australia's material that could be incorporated into NSW Police's own courses.
Earlier, counsel assisting Sophie Callan SC asked Dr Meyer if existing mental health crisis training could help officers de-escalate a situation where a person with dementia acted aggressively or violently.
Dr Meyer replied it could, but she warned police officers were not taught to think of dementia as a reason for the risky behaviour.
General de-escalation techniques involved thinking about violence or aggression as linked to drug or alcohol use or mental health issues such as psychosis, she said.
While these could be dealt with by firm instructions, that tone of voice could be seen by someone with dementia as a threat, she added.
"How do we as human beings respond to a threat? We escalate further."
Because police officers did not have dementia front of mind when considering why a person may be acting in a risky manner, they could miss things and potentially make the wrong choice, she added.
Supt Hales disagreed, saying police did consider dementia as one of a host of causes when confronted with these types of situations.
In the three-day inquest, Judge Teresa O'Sullivan is examining systemic issues before the incident and focusing on dementia care and training for aged care staff, police and ambulance officers.
A NSW Supreme Court jury found White guilty of manslaughter in November 2024.
He was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond in March 2025, a decision that was later upheld by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal
The 36-year-old was removed from the force in December 2024.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
16°C