Age Concern Media release
16 June 2010

Age Concern supports rest home improvements, says more needed
 

The day after World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Age Concern New Zealand is continuing to fight for respect and safety for older people.  

Age Concern appeared before the Health Select Committee today as it looked at measures to raise the safety and quality of rest homes.

The Select Committee was considering the report from the Controller and Auditor-General on the "Effectiveness of arrangements to check the standard of services provided by rest homes".

Age Concern New Zealand says the organisation supports the Auditor-General's investigation and her subsequent report.

"The findings reflect the issues older people have been raising for many years," Age Concern New Zealand spokesperson Jayne McKendry says.

Age Concern welcomes the improvements that have been put in place, including unannounced and tougher rest home audits; publication of audit summaries and other relevant information; better accreditation of auditors; and improved information sharing and management of complaints.

"We hope these processes will address many of the historical shortcomings identified by the Auditor-General, resulting in superior monitoring of the quality of care provided to our most vulnerable older people."

However, Age Concern remains concerned about staffing, elder abuse and neglect within rest homes, and extra fees being charged for necessities.

"A culture of caring and respect for everyone living and working in rest homes is needed for real improvement," Jayne McKendry says.

"Age Concern has a list of 10 basic requirements of rest home care that must be met."

1.           Staffing levels appear at times to be inadequate to meet the needs of residents in a timely and appropriate way. Staffing ratios need to be reviewed given the increased care needs of people living in rest homes today.

2.           Assurances need to be given about staff qualifications, induction and training (for example even something as apparently basic as showering a person can involve pain, indignity and risk if done the wrong way).

3.           More support for agencies working to prevent elder abuse within rest homes.

4.           Acknowledging that a rest home is in fact a person’s home. This basic principle is frequently overlooked, so individual needs and preferences are denied in favour of organisational expediency.

5.           Ending the social isolation and chronic loneliness which some residents experience even in the midst of busy rest homes.

6.           Quality services that maintain health and dignity (for example, some residents can't even be assured their teeth will be cleaned effectively).

7.           Rest home proprietors must ensure that their pursuit of profit doesn't force managers to deprive residents of material essentials or the care they need. This is elder abuse.

8.           Proprietors must be restrained from charging residents extra for 'luxuries' that are actually necessities, such as decent sized rooms with bathrooms.

9.           Real increases in the pittance ($35.55 per week) that people living in rest homes get paid. This is totally insufficient to cover the real costs they have to pay (e.g. dentist bills, legal bills, books, gifts, pharmaceuticals, personal hygiene items). The $251.75 annual clothing allowance equals just $5/week. Not even enough to buy a pair of stockings! 

10.      Further expansion of the action already begun on spot audits and providing more usable consumer information to the public about rest home quality, safety, services and charges.

 
ends
 

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