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‘ Like an 18th century asylum ’
Staff , families , blow the whistle on scabies outbreak .
Another aged care home has
become the centre of national attention for alleged poor treatment of its vulnerable residents .
Channel Nine ’ s A Current Affair ( ACA ) program uncovered widespread scabies and poor conditions at the Kindred Living facility in Whyalla , South Australia .
The allegations came as a result of staff whistleblowers as well as Peter and Brian
Strawbridge , family to Heather , a resident at Kindred Living .
“ It ’ s like an 18th century asylum ,” said one of the two staff whistleblowers to ACA . Both the staff members had their identities obscured as they are “ terrified of repercussions ”.
“ The staff are very upset ” at the conditions that residents find themselves in , the whistleblower said .
“ I left ,” said the other . “ I couldn ’ t handle it anymore .”
Peter Strawbridge repeatedly brought his wife Heather ’ s rashes to the attention of staff who insisted they were mosquito bites .
Eventually he and son Brain took Heather to hospital and found out she had scabies . Peter himself would eventually catch the highly contagious skin infestation .
South Australian State MP Frank Pangallo accompanied ACA and the Strawbridges to confront management at Kindred Living after receiving pictures of residents with rashes and severe bed sores that “ have gone through to the vertebrae ”.
“ I find it quite heartbreaking ,” Pangallo said .
“ We owe them a right to be cared for at a standard that we would all come to expect .”
The staff told ACA that the facility has previously had two sanctions and a noncompliance in the last year .
When staff made complaints to the Health Department and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission , the only action taken was a phone call , no one came to physically check out the complaints .
When Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck was approached about the Whyalla home he told ACA that there had been 11 complaints against Kindred Living that had been investigated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – two in relation to scabies .
Aged Care advocate Stewart Johnston , whose mother was a victim of abuse at Oakden , says this is not an isolated incident and outrageous given that the home received $ 17.5 million in funding last year alone . ■
Aged care minister Richard Colbeck . Photo : Gary Ramage
Tiered approach
Government releases three-tiered visitor guidelines for aged care .
The government has announced a three-tiered set
of visitation guidelines for aged care providers that hinges on the COVID-19 threat level in the community . The plan was backed by the Australian Health Protection
Principal Committee ( AHPPC ).
It spells out the ways in which providers can ramp up or scale down their response to community COVID-19 transmission or locally acquired cases as needed .
Where there are no such reports ( Tier 1 ), the government advises fewer restrictions on visitors , excursions , small gatherings and outdoor exercise .
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck said the restrictions that remained were common sense measures .
“ In all areas , even in those places where there isn ’ t any local transmission , the AHPPC recommends restricting people who have just returned from overseas or have been in contact with a confirmed case , people who are sick , those who require isolation or quarantine and people who haven ’ t had the flu jab ,” Colbeck said .
“ Visitors will also need to maintain personal hygiene , and social distance . By taking these basic precautions , we keep senior Australians in aged care physically safe while they spend time with their family , friends and loved ones , or receive care from doctors or allied health workers .”
The guidelines also spell out steps providers can take when they are in a defined hotspot with localised outbreaks of cases ( Tier 2 ) and when there is an outbreak of the virus in the community ( Tier 3 ).
Colbeck said the government and the AHPPC agreed that residents “ must be protected in the least restrictive manner and their health needs must be balanced with their personal wellbeing and human rights ”.
Following a public back and forth between providers and the government over the issue of visitation restrictions , peak bodies and consumer groups in May released an industry code on the matter .
It aimed to give “ a nationally consistent approach that ensures residents can receive visitors while minimising the risk of spreading COVID-19 ”.
The fifth and latest version of that code was updated to include the three-tiered system . ■
2 agedcareinsite . com . au