My father was a client of one of the facilities mentioned in the press this week. He died in the facility in 2004, after living there for five months. During his period there he was very critical of various aspects of the care provided. It is one of my biggest regrets that I tried to change their systems for the better, rather than just getting Dad out of there. By the time I realised I could not achieve a satisfactory outcome, Dad was too frail to be moved.

Following his death, I lodged a complaint with the Aged Care Complaints Resolution scheme, about various aspects of his treatment at the facility. My complaint was found to have a factual basis.
Some three years later, our local newspaper reports the facility has been sanctioned for deficits similar to those encountered by our family.
These places should be closed down. Unfortunately, the lack of sufficient aged care places mean that this is not a particularly viable option. Consequently, and due to the difficulty in obtaining clear information on the standards, or lack of them, maintained in such facilities when locating a position for aged relatives, people like me must live the rest of their lives with the memory of how they failed to provide proper support for their loved ones in a crucial period of their existence.