There is an argument that no one thinks about residential aged care until it is their own mum or dad needing a place. That’s when decisions must be made about the best facility – based on its services, the cost (not everyone has big dollars in the bank), and often a gut instinct. Feelings of guilt are never far away either.
So, seeing harrowing images and videos of frail elderly people being roughly pushed about in their beds during the long overdue Royal Commission into aged care standards would have rightly rattled many families.
What we saw, via hidden surveillance cameras installed by relatives, was a sad indictment of years of neglect in the sector.
It must be said there are many residential facilities whose care of our vulnerable senior citizens is second to none.
This month’s cover story explores how surveillance cameras could help improve residents’ safety.
My grandmother Kate spent her final days in a lovely Perth aged care home filled with sweet-scented rose gardens, where staff were respectful and caring of an old lady largely lost to dementia.
This month’s cover story explores how surveillance cameras could help improve residents’ safety, with Perth research suggesting surprisingly high levels of support from staff as well as families.
We also look at another sometimes forgotten area of health care – palliative services for children – where words like ‘terminal’ are rarely used, and quality of life is the mantra.
And we finally pin down GP-turned politician Dr Jagadish Krishnan – or Dr Jags – who’s been as busy as a fly at a picnic since he was elected to office this year, after deciding politics was his new calling.