Aged Care Insite Australia's number one aged care news source
An audit from one of Australia's top advocacy groups has revealed harrowing stories of abuse and neglect in aged care, prompting an industry expert to call for urgent reform.
The number of calls reporting neglect and abuse has increased by nearly 20 per cent compared to last year, according to the Older Persons Advocacy Group (OPAN)'s report, which was released last week.
Among the report's findings included cases of residents with untreated lacerations on their elbow and an infected foot wound in danger of amputation.
Founder of the charity, 'Celebrate Ageing', Catherine Barrett says many feel quite dispirited by the "ageist" lack of concern for older people in the broader community and in residential care.
"This has just gone on for too long. We need change, and we need to be better."
Aged Care Insite spoke with Barrett about what improvements are needed in aged care to reduce the number of neglect and abuse cases.
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I have my Mother in an Anglicare establishment – neglect is more than rife!
An absolute disgrace what our ‘oldies’ and us as Carers have to put up with, suffer and then die!
Every single Australian should be ashamed that we aren’t standing up to such an abusive system!
To keep saying we need change and we need to be better – what a joke – nobody is listening while all the suffering is going on – it should have been addressed and implemented decades ago!
And as for the debacle with Covid and isolation – another shameful act – shame, shame, shame!