News

Unions and elder advocacy organisations are increasingly uniting to send a message to governments and service providers about proper respect and care for the elderly.

In a recent example, New Zealand's 'Grey Power', the advocacy group for older New Zealanders, has issued a strong statement about short-staffed rest homes which notes that understaffing is a form of elder abuse. That statement has been delivered by a union delegation to one of the bodies charged with regulating the industry in that country, the District Health Board (DHB).

President of Hastings and Districts Grey Power Marie Dunningham said short staffing was a daily reality in most rest homes, and that staffing levels were kept at bare minimum leaving sick or other staff leave unable to be covered. Ratios were therefore slipping from the miminum level of adequacy, to completely unsafe.

The delegation to the Board, led by Annette Burgan, of the Service and Food Workers Union, and Cressida Singh, of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, sought a higher standard of care, better systems and better staffing in aged-care facilities.

"Carers are being compromised by being asked to do non-clinical things, like cleaning and serving food," Ms Burgan said.

"We give our concerns to management but I think they are listening and not acting. Even the residents can feel the stress when we are short staffed and ask why you can't talk. We have to rush everything."

DHB chairman Kevin Atkinson said aged-care facility funding was awarded nationally, not by the DHB, and said that those with concerns should report complaints to rest home management, to DHBs, and to the Health and Disabilities Commissioner, so that evidence could be collected and complaints acted on.

This action is the most recent in a series of calls for aged care - both safe staffing, and conditions for the care workforce - to be taken seriously. Read the Human Rights Commission's report of the inquiry into the Aged Care Workforce for more information.

https://www.facebook.com/Allthewayforequalpay is the facebook group for the equal pay campaign being run by the unions to deliver respect and recognition to the Aged Care workforce.