NURSING HOME HORRORS
(Sunday Telegraph, 6th March 2011) By: Caroline Marcus.
Nurses have been sacked from a nursing home for allegedly depriving a dying man of food and photographing residents’ genitals in a game called the “Genital Friday Club.”
One of the State’s top nursing homes, William Cape Gardens, on the Central Coast, ran an independent investigation into the atrocities before sacking two nurses, allegedly the ringleaders, on February 16.
A third nurse was suspended and has since been reinstated, while a forth nurse resigned.
The horrific treatment at William Cape includes claims that three nurses told an elderly woman with dementia that her husband was having an affair with her best friend while she was in care.
A whistleblower told The Sunday Telegraph that when food was withheld from an elderly man, the nurse allegedly said: He was going to die anyway and this way it would make it quicker.
Staff were forced to sign confidentiality agreements over the scandal.
The whistleblower said the Genital Friday Club, had been going on for some months and was known of by quite a few members of staff.
A second staff member said at least one nurse took photographs of elderly residents’ private parts on an iPhone and asked colleagues to guess who they belonged to.
William Cape’s spokesman Tim Allerton, from a public relations firm, said it was unclear how many residents had their genitals photographed in the game.
He said relatives of a female and male resident were given a full explanation and apology.
In regards to the allegations (of starvation), we can’t really comment on that. We’ve reported it to police and it’s in their hands, he said.
NSW Police and the Department of Health and Ageing have both launched investigations, with the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme to send investigators to the home tomorrow.
Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said he will ensure a full investigation was carried out.
I am aware of allegations of a number of incidents in an aged care facility where residents are alleged to have been subjected to humiliating and offensive acts by staff members, he said.
I find these allegations repulsive and I know that all Australians would be shocked to hear this type of news.
Lynda Saltarelli from the action group Aged Care Crisis said it was one of the worst cases of abuse at a nursing home she had heard of.
While the home said it was in the process of informing relatives of its residents, families that The Sunday Telegraph spoke to were shocked to learn of the investigation.
Peter Thirgood, whose mother Edna lives in the home, said he had not heard of the alleged behaviour, which he described as disgusting.
The claims come 10 months after The Sunday Telegraph went undercover in two Sydney nursing homes to reveal the routine neglect and abuse of the elderly.
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH / EDITORIAL
DISGRACEFUL TREATMENT OF OUR EDLERLY
(The Sunday Telegraph, 6th March 2011) Paper’s Editorial.
Last year The Sunday Telegraph revealed the true nature of care at many of our nursing homes – the indifference and casual cruelty that sees our elderly spending their last years in torment.
At the time there was an explosion of righteous indignation, a torrent of promises things would improve and goodwill from all sides of the aged care debate to make things better.
Now we can reveal things got worse. Much worse.
Our exclusive investigation into a nursing home on the Central Coast will leave everyone with elderly relatives in care feeling sick.
The revolting stories of such practices as “Genital Friday”, where elderly Australians – who fought for this country and suffered through droughts and the Great Depression – were humiliated for the amusement of staff, is bad enough.
But there are also questions about the elderly being deliberately deprived of food.
Our investigations over the past year suggest these are not isolated incidents of abuse and neglect.
Don’t let anyone tell you this is just an isolated case, that it wouldn’t happen at a nursing home near you.
In the latest case, staff were made to sign confidentiality agreements to prevent the broader community being alerted to the outrage.
The approach would have succeeded if not for the bravery of a couple of whistleblowers and The Sunday Telegraph’s determination to pursue this issue. The sad truth is, everyone cares about the treatment of our vulnerable citizens – but too few in public life seem intent on doing too much about it.
Placing your elderly parents or relatives into care is an unbelievably hard decision to make.
Some families have no choice – if both parents have to work, how can you care full-time for an elderly relative? If that relative has health issues, or dementia, then professional care is the only option.
You have to put your trust in the home you choose and you hope that trust will be justified.
Today you will be feeling sick to the stomach as you read the terrible litany of abuse and neglect against someone else’s parents, friends and family.
Of course there are nursing homes where dedicated staff do their utmost to look after their charges.
One thing we have shown is that, even in the worst of homes, there are still people doing everything they can to help those under their care.
But it is not enough. We pride ourselves on being a caring country, on our mateship and our willingness to help those in need.
It seems that we’re happy to do so when the cameras are rolling and the cause is being covered by breakfast TV hosts. Not so much when it comes to some of our most helpless citizens.
If a society can be judged by how it cares for the defenceless, for the children and for their elderly, what does this say about us?
Why is it we can be horrified by these revelations and then let it be swept under the carpet five minutes later? Australia is ageing rapidly.
We have to act to make sure we look after our senior citizens with dignity and compassion.
When we first revealed the disgraceful behaviour last year, politicians made sympathetic noises publicly but privately told us this was not an issue that sparks debate, nor were there any votes in it.
Well, The Sunday Telegraph cannot accept that. Nor should you.
It is time to make our politicians turn their words into action.
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