THE strain on Wagga’s residential aged care facilities is forcing some Wagga families to send their loved ones out of town.

With the occupancy rate at Wagga’s five nursing homes all around 99 per cent, any family that has an unexpected need for a bed is likely to have to accept a place in a district Multi Purpose Service (MPS) or in a private aged care facility in another town, at least for the short term until a bed can be found in Wagga.

FULL HOUSE: The Haven’s general manager Shane McMullen and executive care manager Jenny Cummins at the Wendy Hucker Nursing Home, one of five facilities in Wagga which are practically full. The shortage of spaces is forcing families to place their loved ones out of town.

The crisis is splitting families and placing people in the unhappy position of waiting for somebody else’s loved one to die, so their elderly parent or grandparent can come back to Wagga.

The situation is no better in most other places around the nation, with a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) putting the national occupancy rate at 94 per cent.

“There are very few spare places around,” said Shane McMullen, general manager of The Haven at Wagga.

“The Federal Government has to fund spare capacity for these (emergency) situations; that is the only way around it at the end of the day.”

The 80-bed Narrandera Nursing Home is relatively large and the elderly from other Riverina towns are often sent there for short stays until a bed can be found in their home towns.

Mr McMullen admits the split can be upsetting.

“It’s always emotional for the families,” he said.

“In an emergency there may not be a bed available in Wagga, but we are not funded to run spare beds.

Source: The Daily Advertiser - Ken Grimson