This morning I opened the door to the SMH’s screaming headline “Owners have record of failure” – by renown journos Linton Besser and Saffron Howden.
It was all downhill from there.
The front-page story was about the terrible nursing home fire in Sydney’s West – now said to have more than a dozen old people in serious condition in hospital and five deaths. The story is at once awfully sad and also a tale of heroism and bravery that ensured that the casualty list was not longer.
However the tone of Besser and Howden’s piece is unrelentingly accusative –pointing the finger at the Quaker’s Hill nursing home – and its parent organisation Domain Principal Group – owned by, AMP Capital Investors.
Amazing, it was that within 20 hours of the blaze being reported, the police arrested a male staff member and charged him with four, then five counts of murder. They had some fairly solid clues – that the fire broke out in two places – suggesting that this was no accident. And second that it happened just before five am – calling into question who would be up around in a secure facility at that time.
My criticism of Besser and Howden’s article is that they seek to hang the nursing home and it’s parent organisation for many trivial reasons as well as because of a previous problem three years ago when ten old people died from gastroenteritis in another Domain Principal nursing home.
I need to put my credentials on the table here. My 87 year old mum has been in care in a nursing home for nearly six years – first with dementia, then latterly also with frailty – she can no longer walk, stand or sit up un aided and she has to be fed, bathed, cared for medically, dressed, toileted, undressed and helped into bed every day. FM’s dad is 85, is in another nursing home and has much the same care needs. We visit every fortnight. So I have some experience in the field.
When old people can no longer feed themselves, perhaps cannot chew or swallow reliably and are incontinent – as well as having unreliable immune systems, they are always at high risk of gastroenteritis, no matter how strict the nursing home’s hygiene protocols. More often than not, infections are brought into nursing homes by visiting relatives who do not use the handwash provided, do bring in food treats and certainly do not wear sterile gloves as the staff do. In our folks’ time as residents, we have seen three outbreaks of gastro in the two locations – providing care for about 250 people. There were thankfully no deaths as a result of these outbreaks, probably due to strict quarantine – no visits unless these were absolutely necessary – and mandatory disinfection of visitors’ hands.
This is impressive care – particularly when you realise that demented people with incontinence can act in ways that are highly counterproductive to safe hygiene.
But returning to the SMH article. Besser and Howden cast aspersions on the Quaker’s Hill nursing home and the parent organisation for various failures in government inspections including not having background checks on prospective staff that were valid – and revalidated every three years including proof that staff had no convictions for murder or any form of assault.
There are two things that need to be said about this. First, it is incredibly challenging for nursing homes to recruit carers – first, nurse-qualified carers (who can earn a lot more money working through agencies temping in hospitals) are always in very short supply and less qualified people who are amongst the lowest paid individuals in the workforce – who have to work shifts and do personal hygiene tasks for old people that would turn most relative’s stomachs are not exactly beating the doors down demanding jobs. The people who work there are in my estimation and experience, mostly saints.
Second, a police check that an individual has a “clean” record can take an eternity – especially when you realise that many of the carers come from overseas and take these jobs because they do not have a huge amount of choice. If I was a nursing home manager, with a desperate need for staff now – because I have patients who need care now – and not in six months, I’d take new people on, train them and manage them carefully and let the police do what the police do – in their own time. They have no choice.
Moreover, a police check that says a person has a clean record – so far – does not predict that a person will never go bananas tomorrow or the next day – which could well be the case with the alleged killer in custody for the Quaker’s Hill fire. Arsonists are usually not the outgoing socially aggressive violent types.
These kinds of regulatory inspections are risk minimisation exercises – and nothing more. They are not in any way iron-clad guarantees that will always prevent bad things from happening.
The last bit of ridiculous trash reporting was, in my opinion, the assertion that in the previous case of deaths from this unrelated, three year old gastroenteritis outbreak, the cause was unproven, but there was a suggestion that there might have been a strong association with eating pureed food (what like a huge proportion of old people with dementia who can no longer chew ?) …. and – and get this, that the residents who died from gastroenteritis “were already deteriorating from their underlying health conditions” – like the ones that landed them in the nursing home in the first place ? Give me strength !
Besser and Howden finished by saying that the management of the nursing home and the parent organisation had cancelled the planned meeting with the SMH and were refusing to comment. Surprising ? Not when the police and coroner are involved – or when the reporters churn out such unhelpful rubbish.
I’m not suggesting that the nursing home is definitely blameless. I just don’t know. Neither would I seek to be unsympathetic to those who lost their lives, their loved ones or those who suffered terrible injuries. I do think that tremendous praise should go to the fire-fighters, police, staff and neighbours who saved so many lives. These folk did a magnificent job. The same cannot be said about the SMH reporters.
Been There - Done That said:
I just surfed here …
I’m a registered nurse, and work in the Aged Care Industry. I don’t ‘love it’, because I can see the issues in this business…. and that’s the key word ” business”. Unfortunately, our Fed. Govt. hands over BILLIONS to private nursing home providers. ‘Not-forProfit’ ?? No such thing !! I work for one of those groups, who keeps putting in LDAs for multi-million dollar property developments. They employ high grade accountants to bring the books to a ZERO. That’s all that ‘Not-for-Profit’ means … that the books are zeroed off at the end of Financial Year. The biggest money spinner is Dementia. A person with Dementia is a ‘living gold mine’ to a private nursing home. Time that by 60 – 70 and you get an income of MILLIONS a year from the tax payers !!
This A-hole who set the fire…
No criminal record check would have picked it. He needed to sit for periodical psychology test. That would have picked up his behavioural dysfunctions. ( changing his hair style every week is a suttle hint ).
All of the legit. nurses will pay for this crime. It will just make our job applications harder. Oh, BTY, there is no nursing shortage in Australia either … it is actually quite difficult already to get a NSW Public Hospital job … so within a year, it will be worse again.
LikeLike
Mark said:
If you are downright unlucky you will end up in a nursing home, God, or should I say Gordon help you.
LikeLike
Mark said:
I actually work in a nursing home, please get your tissues out
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
Yes, I realise that. And a bloody good carer by repute too. Tough call. So does DRMICK, I gather.
LikeLike
Mark said:
Everyone can have there opinion from afar
LikeLike
gerard oosterman said:
My take on nursing homes is that my only experience has been from a sight I haven’t forgotten. It was ,if I remember correctly, a resident (client) from a St Luke’s nursing home. I noticed the poor old man’s feet having crumbled towards the back while being wheeled back from a primary school children’s function. He was clearly beyond calling for help about what must have been an excruciatingly painful trip back. I did not murder the nurse, who, after I drew attention to the way of an old man being transported, said:” Oh, he can keep his feet up”. The nurse was totally oblivious to the notion of care.
While nursing homes are being run for profits I doubt that the best of care is being provided. How can it? If staff can not be attracted by good wages and conditions, it must leave the system open to abuse.
When my mother was being cared for, all her savings had to be handed to the local shire. She had excellent care in modern buildings with staff that were fully qualified. This was some years ago and in Holland. On a trip a few years ago, the fascility where my mother had been looked after had been demolished. Not good enough anymore. At the time, I thought that the building would have been ‘ a dream come true’ if it had been here in Australia.
Sorry, for a negative slant but old people are not always being adequately cared for when in the hands of private enterprise where profits and care are in conflict.
Does anyone remember the scandal whereby staff had taken photos of the private parts of demented patients and a staff competion was held joining the private part pictures to the patients? We read so often about the elderly being abused. It just can’t all be sensational journalism.
It is very expensive to care for an ageing population, part of it has to be a problem of revenue raising. The likes of Fortesque Metal Group ( Andrew Forrest) proudly declaring they haven’t paid tax (yet) has to be a drag on society’s ability to care for public goodies such as aged care, detention care, jails, mental health, rehabiltation care and so much more.
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
Gez, I know how tricky these things are. When Mom was in a wheelchair, I had to be super careful when I took her across the road for a cup of coffee. Started out with the feet in the right place – but one has to check more or less constantly. Unfortunate the incident you saw, but …. shit happens even amongst people who are in the main good carers.
I think you make a good point, though. Can I re-interpret it as – sometimes accidents happen even in really good care organisations – and heaven knows the shortage of places we have in those. Systemic faults are another thing – and that’s what the government inspections are supposed to minimise.
Sadly, there’s not much profit in aged care and the sector is poorly served. The SMH reported that the Quaker’s Hill Nursing home had revenue of just under $200million per year – and made – just under $1 million profit. Any investor would know that this is a pathetically low return – which is why there is such under investment in aged care – and why so many marginally awful places still exist. For the regulators, it’s a fine line between closing down poor quality nursing homes – and protecting residents from malpractice – and reducing the already critically short supply of beds.
LikeLike
gerard oosterman said:
Yes,Emm,
With your mum and the FM mum both in care you would know much more about the present aged health care situation than I do. I just thought that the whole aged care ought to be financed by local Councils or Shires. This is how it was when my mum was in aged care in The Netherlands. Real estate that had not been passed on to relatives and all savings was handed over to the Government. It might well have changed since then.
My mum still was paid the pension which she used for gifts, toiletries etc. Just from hearsay I was told that many Dutch retirees had not such laudable experiences in aged care, even in those aged care homes run by a Dutch Society., such as Juliana Village in Chester-hill.NSW
I have reached the age where I am still agile enough to cut my toe nails bit I don’t know for how much longer. It is strange to see women having no hesitation to get their feet and toes attended to but I have yet to see a man in one of those opulent marble floored hand nails and toe nails emporiums that have sprouted up everywhere. I noticed also that often, very lovely looking and very young oriental girls are deeply bend over someones hand or feet, caressing fingers and toes. Are women’s fingers and toes so much better or are the nails softer.? What’s the reason for this form of sexual gender prejudice?
LikeLike
Mark said:
It’s your mum, not your mom you fucking idiot
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
Mark, I’m going to have to ask you to go and sit in the naughty corner. I can spell it the American way if I damned well choose. Who are you say “No” ?
LikeLike
Mark said:
Mikey, Please don’t wank on these pages, I am sure you must get tired
LikeLike
Vectis Lad said:
I was wondering if you claimed Australian tax deductions gerard? I do if’n I can. There are a set of rules, in Australia. Mining exploration is no different. No different say than farming , or inve4sting in renewables. If one spends money investing, then it’s tacx deductable–and eventually the tax rolls in: $100m in F’s case sonn, as I unnerstan it–and then $800 million later. I know not when.
What we need is an efficient government, who can spend the revenue wisely, when it comes in.
When Forrest had nothing (I don’t know his history, so maybe he inherited it, like Gina Lollarhinegold), nobody wanted his company’s money then.
I suppose the trick is to wait till people like Kevin Rudd’s wife have built up their businesses, and then just arrest them and confiscate it for the state.
Or, you just get into them and slowly bleed them; just keeping them alive to pay their own staff, who have mouths to feed.
We could even use it to fly those poor assylum seeker’s in who are fleeing Indonesia, complete with Fendi sunnies and iPods. Have you seen their rippling muscles? Eat your heart out.
Many of the nursing homes in The UK, are owned by Indians.–al multi millionaires; presumably paying the only tax that they have to. There are rules in place where The UK State sells people’s house up and pays the Nursing home owners exorbitant fees direct.My mother-in-law was an inmate, with dementia. She died there,
LikeLike
gerard oosterman said:
I am not sure what you are getting at.Vectis Lad. I know a bit about Forrest, mainly because of the importation of alpacas back in the early nineties. He would buy them from the poorest of the poorest in Peru and Chile, transport them to Australia and then pitched them towards rich lawyers as a tax deduction scam. It all fell to pieces when the Government closed a loop hole preventing people claiming deductions of farms when they were never going to show a profit. Google Forrest and you’ll get some insight in the man. He is a master of tax dodging.
Back to aged care. If Indians in England are multi millionaires from profitable aged care homes I would hope that those homes also have the world’s best standing in care. I doubt it! You are right though in regards to having good Governing and Government in ensuring the very best of care is available in society.
In Holland, there is very good care and that is because it is not in the hands of businesses but in the hand of shires and councils who get the money from raised revenue, including the sale of assets and savings of those that finally are in need of aged care. Why would you still be in need of real estate or cash when you are in your final years? I would be very happy to have the best of care when my life is drawing down on the fag -end.
LikeLike
Vectis Lad said:
What I am getting at is that you have to forget that some people are wealthier than you. Incredibly wealthy really. It doesn’t matter. it’s always been that way. i f you don’t want to be then don’t try. And then don’y knock those who become ultra wealthy; as long as they didn’t commit crimes. Then there are penalties.
It is a constant them of yours. it comes across as envy.
I imagine that Fortes cue has employees. I also imagine that they have suppliers: thousands of them: all feeding off the central business. All paying tax, GST and utility bills.
If he did not head it someone else would: Carlos Slim maybe?
What worries me is all the young people and unionists (driving trucks), that want to push right up to the head of the merging traffic, when there are dotted lines. Grabbing and pushing trying to take advantage of my good manners. They are like pigs; snorting and pushing for as much as they can grab, at everybody else’s expense and good character. Squeezing & squeezing, to try and get it all before thae host dies.
And no more planes can be bought?
LikeLike
gerard oosterman said:
No, not envy. I am more than satisfied, thanks for your concern. What makes you so sure that those that see social inequality or injustice are envious of the rich. That would be putting too great a value on mere wealth.
I have a social conscience that doesn’t easily accept the wealth of a few at the cost of a majority. When individuals own as much as entire countries or as in the case of America,, the top 5 % own most of America’s wealth, the occupation of Wall street becomes a logical outcome.
Surely Vectis Lad, you haven’t spent your life wishing ‘wealth’ to happen?
LikeLike
Vectis Lad said:
No it’s never bothered me. i feel equal in all senses. And I know that the wealth that individuals accumulate can never be redirected in the right way.
One either lives in a commune, where all share the same cabbage, or we just let freedom take place and live within a framework of law—not religious law, but common law.
Roman Abramovitch, The Russian, who owns Chelsea football team, has two yachts, wotrth more than a small town, however if they were sold, the money would only feed a tribe Africans for two days. What do they do next?
Anyway: it’s just my point that there is no good griping about the rich
You must get rich inside your head. You maybe wealthier than Fortiscue in there 🙂
LikeLike
Mark said:
Isn’t it interesting that you remember sensationalism and nothing else
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
True. Well, mostly true. This poor alleged arsonist dude’s face has been plastered all over newspaper’s for days. Chance of a fair trial ? Zip, I’d reckon. He’s been tried in bus shelters all over the country. The New Lindy Chamberlain. If he’s guilty, he’s guilty. If he’s innocent, he’s guilty too. If he’s of unsound mind, he’s ready for politics.
LikeLike
vivienne said:
I agree with those sentiments too. The accusations at the owners was also on the tele and I think I was on a commercial station at the time. I thought it as baseless and slanderous.
LikeLike
Mark said:
What would you know?
LikeLike
Voice said:
For what it’s worth I remember that smh article. Precisely because I thought at the time of reading how shameful it was smearing the nursing home. No idea how typical I am though. Also I must say I fell for the gastro thing, even if only as a probably unrelated incident.
After the stalking of Madeleine Pulver and its subsequent trumping in the unforgiveable stakes by their coverage of ‘Bali Boy’, I didn’t reach outrage, just a flash of disgusted recognition. I don’t have a personal connection to nursing homes though. In the Pulver case I emailed Media Watch twice, and I like to think that my voice among others had some influence over their decision to cover it.
Points to the nursing home for the fire door, what? It will be interesting in the wash-up to hear the verdict on its contribution, if we ever do.
The mongrel who set the fire.
LikeLike
Mark said:
You are typical of the disconnected and your opinion is worthless
LikeLike
Voice said:
I agree my opinion on nursing homes is worthless. That’s why I didn’t give it.
For crying out loud, Hung, haven’t you and your advisor(s) worked out a strategy for when you feel totally crap? Don’t tell me this is it. Give it a go.
LikeLike
Mark said:
Voice, Nursing homes is bad. Eye is there.Eye do myers best. They love me.
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
Thanks. A Voice in the wilderness.
LikeLike
Emmjay said:
Voice, at one stage Australia were 2 for 29.
LikeLike
Voice said:
Thanks back.
Hung, is that you in disguise? So far I seem to be 1 not out, so I’m chancing my arm at a second. Something about that doesn’t sound right, but I’m not sure what.
I don’t know what to say. So .. it must be time for another Winnie the Pooh quote.
“I’m not asking anybody,” said Eeyore. “I’m just telling everybody. We can look for the North Pole, or we can play ‘Here we go gathering Nuts in May’ with the end part of an ants’ nest. It’s all the same to me.”
LikeLike
H said:
So far the only one not abused (by Hung) is Gerard, have a look at all the other stories and the Dot.No doubt an oversight…
God I’m getting tired of having to duck every time I come here…what’s going on here.
LikeLike
Big M said:
Similar level of reportage here, a couple of years back, when a number of nursing home residents died from an outbreak of Norovirus, a virus which produces mild symptoms in one patient vs need for intensive care in another, and, it comes from just about anywhere.
Anyway, our local rag is only good for mulch!
LikeLike
Mark said:
I’m sure your arse is big enough to absorb a broadsheet
LikeLike
Big M said:
We is all too dumb to read broadsheets!
LikeLike
algernon said:
Emm I share your anger at the arse wipe that turned up on my door step this morning. Seriously it was clear that this fire was deliberately lit and to try and pin the blame on the management of the nursing home was beyond the pale.
It should be predictable though. Journalism seems to be almost dead in this country. The SMH looks more and more like the Daily Turd each day. Frankly these little toe rags need on be at least reprimanded along with their editors or simply be sacked.
What possesses someone to commit something so heinous is be beyond me.
LikeLike
astyages said:
Seems to me that such shit reporting is the result of shit-stirring reporters who like to stir up trouble just so they can then report on the outcome of their shit-stirring! And it is one of the worst problems with journalism today… It is also one reason why I don’t bother any more with newspapers (initially I gave up reading them to save trees ’cause newspapers seemed like an incredible waste to me… but now, even though I could read ’em for free via the internet, I just can’t be bothered!)
I’m glad that your Mum and FM’s Mum are both so well taken care of Emmjay… but I hope I die before I get to that stage myself… When I had the metalwork removed from my foot I had the dubious privilege of an overnight stay at Gleneagles, one of the better nursing homes in Adelaide and though the place was nice and clean, and the nursing staff excellent and very professional and caring, it made me realise that I never want to have to live in one…
Your article makes me very glad that my own Mum, now aged 80, is very fit and agile; she currently lives with her also octogenarian ‘boyfriend’, Terry (an Ozzie from Brizzie, now resident in the UK), in his house in Manchester; she regularly flies between England and Ireland to visit her rellies in ‘Derry and also to Spain, where she loves to go dancing. She’s coming to Oz next February or March to visit me and introduce me to Terry…
Aaaaarrrrgggghhh! I just remembered! I gotta go and find out about hotel prices for them; she’ll be ringing me up tonight at some stage and she’ll expect me to have the info!
Cya later!
🙂
LikeLike
Mark said:
You are one step away from it, and Poms don’t do that well
LikeLike