news
At the time of the announcement,
several providers and peak bodies were
worried about the ramifications of such
measures.
Deborah Booth, chief executive at
St Andrews Village aged care in Canberra,
increased her workforce numbers, but
worried that the government’s guidelines
on visiting – limiting time and two visitors
per day – could further strain staff, who will
have to police residents and their friends
and family.
“We’ve had to drastically increase our
staffing, including weekend reception, so
that we can monitor, and we’ve restricted
visiting from 9am to 5pm. So, no evening
visits. And we’re fortunate that we’re
fully camera-ed, so we can run those
things on Monday just to see if there’s
compliance, and then talk to families who
haven’t complied.”
Booth also worried about how aged care
workers will fair economically during this
crisis. She has asked her staff not to work
across many facilities, as aged care workers
often do, and she has lost numbers
as a result.
COTA chief executive Ian Yates said the
measures infringe on residents’ human
rights, while the acting federal secretary
of the Australian Nursing & Midwifery
Federation, Lori-Anne Sharp, said that to
properly protect nursing home residents,
the government must provide clear and
consistent messages to avoid confusion
among already worried residents and
their loved ones.
“This government is completely out
of touch with the reality that currently
exists in nursing homes,” she said. “How
are chronically understaffed facilities,
some without a registered nurse, going
to supervise visits to ensure they are of
‘short duration’?
“This is totally unrealistic when we
already know that care staff are rushed off
their feet trying to meet the basic needs of
elderly residents.”
As of April 7, Tasmania has become
the first and only state to announce a
lockdown of hospitals and aged care
homes with no visitation allowed. The rules
will initially be in place for two weeks and
reviewed after that.
Care staff are rushed
off their feet trying to meet
the basic needs of elderly
residents.
In total, there have been 41 residents and
staff in 17 nursing homes diagnosed with
COVID-19 across all states, with the ACT
and NT currently recording no cases in
aged care, according to data obtained by
the ABC.
Dorothy Henderson Lodge has 16
residents and five staff who have tested
positive, with the total number of cases at
21. Six residents have passed away. While
the Opal Aged Care home at Bankstown
in Sydney has seen two deaths and five
COVID-19 cases. ■
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