Are rest home residents really safe?

Age Concern New Zealand Media release 17 December 2009

Are rest home residents really safe?

Rest homes audits alone can't guarantee vulnerable older people's safety; greater commitment to quality improvement and respect throughout the elder care sector is needed.

"The Auditor General's damning report shows that audits alone aren't going to keep older people safe," Age Concern chief executive Ann Martin says.

"A culture of respect, caring and empowerment needs to flourish in rest homes. All rest home owners need to commit to recruiting, retaining, and properly training quality staff and to embrace a culture of continuous quality improvement and care.

"Everyone has a role in improving quality, including the general public. If you know people who live in rest homes, visit them often. If you see something wrong, tell someone."

Age Concern says it could also be doing more to help rest homes and their residents but is held back by budget shortfalls.

Elder abuse and neglect prevention services provided by Age Concern offer training and advice to rest home carers and support to residents, but some miss out because Government won't fund a nation-wide service.

"It's a tragedy that some people facing elder abuse and neglect get less support because they live in the 'wrong' parts of the country," Ann Martin says.

"Rest home residents need someone to look out for them, but we know that some older people have no-one.

"Our Accredited Visiting Service Visitors are trained to look out for health issues whilst promoting social connection and other activities," Ann Martin says. "They could be providing supportive eyes and ears in resthomes if they were funded to do so.

"Problems can fall between the cracks when carers are busy –no-one notices the person isn't eating, is desperate for extras such as toiletries, or has untreated dental or medical problems till it's too late.

"Age Concern wants to do more and we hope Government will find a way of supporting us."

ENDS