With scandals such as that at a South Australian aged care facility for dementia patients – and more recently at multiple Queensland aged care facilities – where several deaths were caused by improper care, the sector has increasingly been under the spotlight.

The first report notes that five people associated with the now-closed South Australian facility were the subject of adverse findings of maladministration: the nursing director, the service manager, one doctor, a nurse and a health department official.

An official inquiry found there had been failures in clinical governance, incidents of rough handling of patients, excessive use of restraints and a high level of injuries.

Astonishingly, the inquiry found that “senior people, including some ministers and chief executive, who were responsible by virtue of their office for the delivery of care and services to the consumers, should have known what was going on but did not”.

Not all care shortfalls in aged care facilities have fatal outcomes. Nevertheless, many have serious consequences for the residents and their families.

Conversation starter

If you or a loved one has been in an aged care facility – or you have worked in one – we invite you to explore and have Your Say and explore any of the following sub-topics in this section of the website:

Aged care residents’ rights and responsibilities
Medication management
Clinical care
Resident meals (including fluids)
Communication
Companionship
Personal care
→ Hygiene, sanitation
Personal safety and security
→ Property loss or damage
→ Financial abuse
→ Falls, physical harm, abuse
→ End-of-life and palliative care
→ Deaths
Staffing in residential aged care
→ Staff:resident ratios
→ Training
→ Off-loading to hospitals

Theft and property loss can be distressing and even cause financial difficulties for those in residential aged care, yet missing or misplaced clothing, broken treasures, stolen jewellery, broken medical aids that are depended on, money taken – or used inappropriately – are frequently spoken of by residents, families and carers.

Sometimes an external player is responsible, as in this Melbourne story from The Age, but more often the perpetrator works in, resides in or visits the facility where the damage or loss took place.

Conversation starter

Tell us about any experience you, a loved one or someone you have cared for has had with property loss or damage while they were a resident in an aged care facility. Was the item repaired, replaced or found intact? If not, were you or your loved one compensated for the loss or damage? Did the loss or damage happen more than once? What was the resident’s reaction? What steps did the aged care facility take to prevent this happening in future?

Even aged care facilities that meet every accreditation standard can be deficient in providing consistent and timely clinical care.

The experience of one Melbourne woman who spoke to Fairfax Media – whose husband endured two years of questionable care, including being placed in restraints up to 12 hours at a time for months at a stretch for spurious reasons and rarely sleeping in a bed, exacerbating his back pain – underscored how subjective standards often are not enough.

Conversation starter

Have you or your loved one experienced an issue with clinical care in a residential aged care facility? What was the issue and what were its consequences? Who was approached to address this issue? Were you satisfied with the response? What was the eventual outcome?

Monash University research has found medication errors in aged care facilities are common and their potential to cause harm is high, but that reporting of the serious effects of such errors on residents – such as permanent disability or death – is rare.

The researchers looked at a number of studies from 2000 to 2015 that showed between 16 and 27 per cent of residents had been exposed to one or more medication errors. They also found that errors resulting in serious outcomes were “probably underreported or undetected”.

Conversation starter

Have you or a loved one experienced an issue with how medications were being managed in a residential aged care facility? Did any error occur at the home or at the time of transfer to/from another health facility? Were aged care facility staff made aware of any medication issue? Was a medical practitioner made aware of the issue? Were you satisfied by the response from either by staff or medical professionals? Were there any serious consequences? Was the matter ultimately resolved?