Retirees To Rally For Safe Aged Residential Care

Wellington retirees will rally tomorrow to protest staffing cuts at Aged Residential Care facilities. They want a fair go for staff and residents.

The rally will take place from 11:30am to 12:30pm outside Tākina Conference Centre which is hosting the Retirement Village Association Conference.

The Wellington retirees are working with the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) and E tū, who represent nursing and caregiver staff, to call for changes that support residents' dignity and quality of care, and pay equity with fair work conditions for staff.

Many of the Wellington retirees live at the Arvida facility, Village at the Park in Newtown and are opposing cuts to staffing hours at the residential aged care facility.

Arvida is proposing cuts of around 400 hours a week for care workers, nurses, and activity coordinators at Village on the Park. These cuts are deeply opposed by workers, the residents they care for, their families, and the wider community.

NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter has urgent concerns about ongoing staffing reductions in the aged care sector.

"Major aged care providers, Arvida, Bupa, Oceania, Metlifecare, and Summerset are all proposing cuts to the care time provided.

"Aged residential care facilities are already understaffed, and nurses are generally paid less than nurses working for Te Whatu Ora. Staff have been shocked to receive change proposals to reduce hours when they are already stretched thin. They are concerned the cuts will result in reduced quality of care for residents.

"Staff feel that their feedback and that of residents and their families on the impact to quality care and health and safety has not been fairly considered.

"We applaud the retirees who are standing up and asking for their voices to be heard, and showing their support for nurses and caregivers.

"We can and must do better for our aging population. Australia has legal minimum aged care staffing levels. We should have them here to protect both residents and workers," said Mr Goulter.

© Scoop Media