Affectionately known to many as Mac, the then 88-year-old was brutally assaulted by a fellow resident at The Haven aged care home in Wagga. His niece Alison Mortimer was left to fight a court battle over six months to get her uncle's abuser removed from the facility - a process which she said should have been instantaneous.

Now, she's telling her story.

"I hope it won't be seen as a story about a historical assault, but one about moving forward and trying to get real change from community grassroots," Ms Mortimer said.

Hollow Hearts is a book that explores the failings of the aged care system as witnessed by Ms Mortimer during her journey to protect Mac.

"It was a resident-on-resident assault, which is a hidden type of assault in aged care, and I hope the commission will bring that to light," she said.

"It's not just a local problem, it's not even a national problem, it's an international problem because it isn't measured and reported."

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was launched in October 2018 to investigate issues around staffing, isolation and unmet needs across the sector.

The final report is set to be handed down by February 26, 2021, but the trauma already experienced from witnessing the aftermath of Mac's assault took its toll on Ms Mortimer.

"I had a breakdown, and it took me a while to figure out what was wrong with me," she said.

"I guess this was my journey to healing."

Written over 200 hours, Ms Mortimer said it came "straight from the heart". But Mac is not the only person to be let down by the system.

"I only knew two people in aged care, and they were both criminally assaulted," she said.

"When Mac was at the home, they told me to speak with Dorothy who was this big character, one of the first females in NSW to run for local government in her day, but she was also criminally assaulted, resident-on-resident.

"When I turned up championing Mac, she came out of the woodwork and said it had happened to her too, so I gave them both a voice."

Mac passed away on September 26, 2017. Ms Mortimer said she hoped her story would spark others to speak up and set change in motion.

"I hope this story speaks to people on many levels. I know it is my story, the story of Mac and Dorothy, but I hope it's everybody's story because change is up to us," she said.

"The hollow heart became mine. It's the hollow hearts of the aged care system too, but I don't think it is the hollow hearts of a rural community because we can speak to the nation."