With so many PCA's working in nursing homes and especially when there are PCA's IN CHARGE of wards (working as TEAM LEADERS) wouldn't you think that they would all be knowledgable in administering oxygen.

How refreshing to see the national president of a union write such a revelatory piece on aged care "Dignity Denied: Long term care and Canada's elderly" in Aged Care Crisis News and Media. A beautifully written article.

What a story "Doctors criticised over aged home case"

How often does this phrase - "conflict of interest" - arise when aged care hits the news?...

I have two parents in aged care and am shocked by what I witness on a near daily basis.

I'd like to great you with a bright HI, but I can't. Every day I go to work knowing that all I am doing is attempting to satisfy the accreditation teams...

Yes. That's right. This is how the "new beut" complaints investigation scheme operates - to my knowledge and experience so far - the scheme that came in after much fanfare after the granny rapes in Melb earlier this year:

I'm looking at lodging a complaint against my mothers nursing home. I'm currently reading all that I can about doing it right to get the best outcome for my Mum. I would really like to see the investigators go to the Nursing Home unannounced so they can get a real picture of the place!!

I've worked in a couple of nursing homes. They are so poorly staffed and under funded.

My father has been in hospital for nearly 6 months. He was originally admitted for pneumonia but has had a number of illnesses in that time including renal failure so he now requires dialysis 3 times per week. I cannot drive him as I work/study and transport my two children to and from school , although I can step in to do it in an emergency.

He is in a rehabilitation hospital at the moment and I am being pressured to have him admitted to a nursing home. There are a number of problems with this.

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.

How do you think the audits should work? What would be better than the present system? 

I want to answer that...!

I work in a particular facility that is very high care and dementia specific with extra security and 'lock up'. Alot of elderly who have progressed from a history of long term mental illness and into dementia/alzhiemers are placed into this particular facility.
I can honestly say that the staff and management do a great job of caring for all of the residents to the best of their ability and full support staff and residents...  However...

Abstract:  This letter was sent to www.agedcarecrisis.com for inclusion on the website.  To protect the anonymity of the author, name and other specific details have been removed.

"May I ask you, did you read the latest issue of the Aged Care Crisis eNews?  In particular the article that is reached by clicking on the link "Shameful death". It can be found here.

This article raises many questions - One person in five will die a 'shameful' death, alone and without dignity, according to new British research.  I wonder how many die in Australia shamefully? Do you know Senator McLucas?..."

"Several years ago, my mother had a heart pacemaker inserted. Two years ago, she was evaluated by two major psychiatric facilities, and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During these times, she was given ever-increasing medicines, in higher doses, to manage her condition.

My mothers health was becoming worse. She was lethargic, depressed, fatigued, despondent, suffered memory loss, lacked energy - had a major loss of quality of life. My mother's physician declared she had a "failure to thrive," a condition in elderly in which no treatment seems to return them to good health. She suggested hospice care. I didn’t buy it. I was convinced that my mother wasn’t ready to die...

Abstract:  This email was forwarded to www.agedcarecrisis.com for inclusion on the website.  The author prefers to maintain their anonymity.  Note that the first email was sent to the
Ageing Minister in March, 2007, and the same email was then forwarded to Senator McLucas with a covering letter in May, 2007. 

I have just worked one of the worst shifts in my career as a Registered Nurse. I work for a large nursing agency and work in a wide variety of aged care facilities across the southern area of Adelaide. I am an experienced RN, I  have a certificate in Gerontology and a Masters Degree. I am getting so  sick and tired of seeing aged care facilities cutting staffing to  the bare minimum and in so doing risking the health of the residents they are supposed to  be caring for.

I work in an Aged Care Facility in (removed to protect author) where Management have passed all staff on their competencies without staff actually demonstrating the competencies to Management.

I had an issue recently and am interested in whether others have come across it.

My mother-in-law has been living in a hostel for about four years. Up until recently - she has been managing her own accounts etc, but is now finding it a bit much so I am now helping out.

When we received her last pharmacy account, I noticed the pharmacy had charged a fee for packaging - now, as I work in aged care - I know that any fees for packaging must be met by the aged care facility...

"I would rather commit suicide than need the care of a nursing home"

I am now in my mid 40s (a baby boomer) and for most of my working life have worked as a trained nurse.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with HIV and unfortunately this has now brought an end to my working life so now I am retired.

At first I fully expected to die within a few years (3 to 5) from this condition but, with the advent of newer and more advanced drug therapys my chances of reaching my more senior years keeps looking more and more likely.

During my initial years as a nurse, I worked as an untrained nursing assistant in the area of aged care. and I must say I found it difficult and depressing to say the least.

I would often think to myself: "dear god, I hope I die before I ever reach the pityfull stage of some of those that I cared for" (and it looks like I just might hopefully).

I witnessed many acts of brutality and cruelty from more senior registered nursing staff and doctors alike, but due to my low rank at that time wasnt able to do anything about it.

The Advertiser names Mrs Carla Baron as "appointed nurse adviser" to Bartonvale.
Elsewhere in the article, it refers to Bartonvale "accepting the help of nursing home trouble shooters" Neil and Carla Baron.

I trained and then commenced paid work at (Nursing home name omitted) but after a few months I left as I was ashamed to be working there. There was an RN who spoke - no yelled and told the resident off for asking for help and keeping his staff from doing there work with the other residents. I got told off for caring and was told by him that if I want to care I should go do one on one work. There was this lady who needed to go to the toilet but because she had been a couple of hours earlier I wasn't to take her and she was in tears and distraught.

My wife are co-convenors of a Residents and Relatives group at (name removed to protect author) Nursing home and have been for some five years .

Most of the items that have come to light in the media recently are not new, a perusal of our records over the past five years these items occur regularly.

My grandmother lived in the inner city of Sydney with my mother, no private health care/insurance, only access to Medicare related facilities.  My mother as the primary care giver was offered no community palliative care support, she was not eligible for a carer's allowance from the Government.

In my work contract it states that all media contacts must be referred to the CEO. I was my site's enterprise bargaining representative and I argued against this limitation on free speech - it goes against Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...

"The hardest thing to get my head around is the way that large corporations (for profit) are being allowed to take over this extremely important area, almost as though the government is closing its eyes to the whole problem af aged care and the ageing population.

With single companies owning multiple aged care facilities, where is the watch-dog group in all of this? As with all companies, everything is neatly and conveniently "compartmentalised".