ELDERLY residents of a Parafield nursing home are receiving counselling after a fellow occupant burned to death from a lit cigarette.

The Helping Hand aged care facility was in lockdown yesterday amid a police and coroner's investigation into the incident that happened about 6.50pm on Tuesday.

"We had a really tragic incident here where a resident set herself on fire,'' said director of care governance Meg Klecko.

"It's under investigation so I can't comment any further.''

Ambulance officers said the woman suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body but was alive when taken to Lyell McEwin Hospital. Her clothes are believed to have caught fire.

Independent advocacy website, agedcarecrisis.com spokeswoman Linda Sparrow said: "In our view, a lot of these issues come back to inadequate staffing levels.''

Source: The Advertiser

Your Comments

by abbie on Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:36 pm

ELDERLY residents of a Parafield nursing home are receiving counselling after a fellow occupant burned to death from a lit cigarette.

Could someone explain to me how this could happen? I am shocked. Isn't there a ban on smoking in rooms in homes for the elderly? Shouldn't someone have been supervising a special day area for smokers? What a horrible way to die!
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by Snappo on Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:49 pm

Hi Abbie,

Yes, all aged care facilities are smoke free, the residents are able to smoke outside, but not in their rooms or common areas. Unfortunately, after a life long habit, they may forget, or simply have STML. Where I now work, it is the practice of the facility for the staff to keep the residents cigarettes and give them one on request, (or the packet, if they are leaving the facility with their family, this is then given to staff on their return for safety sake).) That way, staff can make sure they go outside to smoke, therefore, ensuring everyone's safety.

This practice was brought into effect after one dear old soul was constantly caught smoking in bed!! We did have one lady in the dementia specific area who was a (very unsafe) smoker, staff would accompany her outside her room and stay with her til she had finished her cigarette.

It is their home, it is their right to choose to smoke or not to smoke, so we make the practice as safe as possible for everyone. Obviously, the facility where the resident burned to death, didn't have sufficient procedures in place to prevent this.Snappo 
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by Kathy on Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:44 am

The dementia facility my mum was in supervised the residents that smoked. The smokers were allowed 1 cig six times a day the carer handed the cig's out lit them and stayed with the residents until finished. The cig but's were placed in a tin. A carer I know told me at the facility her hubby is in it's a NO smoke zone.

I know all hospitals are suppose to be 'Smoke Free Zones' but last march when my dad was in hospital he was in a single room owing to his deteriorating condition the staff use to smoke in the grounds outside his room beside the air conditioner which sucked the smoke into his room. The nurse's on duty would go outside and move them on but one male nurse would ring security every time he smelt the smoke in dad's room.Kathy 
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by Snappo on Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:42 pm

OK, Kathy, it appears that your mum's facility practiced safe procedures. What, though, if a resident wanted more than 6 cigarettes a day? I also tend to suspect that, unless it was stated up front that your friend's father's facility was smoke free, that it's an infringement of his rights to not allow it. I know of an instance where a gentleman, a life long smoker, entered a low care facility. It appears that the issue of smoking was not raised and he assumed that he would be able to go outside to smoke. When he asked where he could smoke, management informed him it was a smoke free facility and supplied him with patches!! How dare they place their values on him? Imagine telling an 80+ year old that he can no longer smoke. At his age it's quality of life, not quantity. If smoking, to him, is quality, then so be it.

My experience of aged care (don't know about general hospitals), is that a huge proportion of the staff, RNs included, smoke. If there was a designated smoking area for staff, then the issue you raised wouldn't/shouldn't occur. Since smoking is not illegal, and citizens have the right to choose to either smoke or not, then it seems reasonable to me that a smoking area, in a place where it's not going to infringe on non smoker's space, would satisfy everyone. I honestly fail to see where the problem is.
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by insider on Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:44 pm

did anyone read the full news article and notice the comments by a manager of the home?

ELDERLY residents of a Parafield nursing home are receiving counselling after a fellow occupant burned to death from a lit cigarette.

The Helping Hand aged care facility was in lockdown yesterday amid a police and coroner's investigation into the incident that happened about 6.50pm on Tuesday.

"We had a really tragic incident here where a resident set herself on fire,'' said director of care governance Meg Klecko.

"It's under investigation so I can't comment any further.''

So...... why DID she make the comment that the "resident set herself on fire"???

Begs the question - "The staff who were rostered on at the time actually witnessed the resident set herself on fire??

According to the he manager, people could be confused into thinking this was almost deliberate. And as everyone has, in this topic, so clearly highlilghted the supervision of such residents, how could this happen if there were ample staff at the facility? Were fire and safety procedures followed? Commenting on an investigation, and now probably a coronial inquiry, the manager should probably not have commented.

Wonder how the family members are coping - close your eyes and imagine it's your own mum or dad being looked after in any of these homes. You would never think they would suffer such a hideous and most painful way to die. Absolutely disgusting.

Sounds dodgy brothers to me. Like the old saying... where there's smoke....

That would be the second resident that has gone up in flames - everyone remember the outcomes of the Docker River facility in the NT just a week ago or so? There was no supervision overnight at that time either (or for that matter, at nights, apparently).