Several reports that aged-care residents are being left sitting in faecal matter, unbathed and dehydrated, while staff have to care for as many as 60 people by themselves, have come to the surface in South Australia as the state is battling through the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the latest data released by the federal government, infections among SA aged care staff have increased significantly while a 17 per cent increase has been recorded in residents with COVID-19.
Unions have slammed the federal government for its treatment of aged care staff and residents, calling for more action so the state’s most vulnerable can be protected.
On the other hand, aged care workers report they are struggling through double shifts in an attempt to address staff shortages, while residents feel uneasy and emotional about the entire situation.
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, SA has the highest number of aged care facilities with an outbreak per capita, the highest number of aged care staff infected per capita and the second highest number of aged care residents infected per capita.
During the State’s COVID-19 outbreak late last November, which occurred after the government’s decision to open the borders to interstate visitors, SA’s Greek nursing homes have also had to manage the outbreak.
RIDLEYTON GREEK HOME FOR THE AGED
Owned and operated by the Greek Orthodox Community of SA, the Ridleyton nursing home for the aged, has recorded 31 COVID-19 cases amongst its residents, 33 staff cases and one death (resident).
On the other hand, St Basil Homes (SA), have so far been successful in keeping their residents COVID-19 free.
“We put this down to the decision to put our staff into D95s and Goggles prior to Xmas and ahead of any outbreak. We did this at our own cost as it made sense once community transmission increased. In addition to this, once we had staff test positive and we implemented our outbreak management plan, we put in place regular RAT screening of all people entering our homes – this included all staff, visiting health professionals and essential contractors and subsequently our visitors once we opened back up for visits,” St Basil’s Homes (SA) Chief Executive, Ms Michelle Church, told Neos Kosmos.
Our staff are the real heroes
Ms Church said that whilst St Basil’s (SA) have been successful so far in keeping the residents free of COVID-19, management knows that this could change at any time, therefore everyone continues with the difficult task of balancing risk and quality of life.
“Our staff have been ‘pushing through’ for much longer than just the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are the real heroes as they continue to stretch themselves to perform more tasks, adapt to new requirements and learn new processes, all whilst smiling and providing the best possible care for our vulnerable residents. We are so very fortunate to have amazing staff members who genuinely care for the wellbeing of our residents. We are truly proud that our staff know their residents needs and preferences intimately and therefore provide quality person-centred care, but they are tired and stressed. They need to be rewarded and supported. Whilst other industries weigh up the cost benefits of staff reward versus productivity, aged care outcomes for vulnerable people are non-negotiable. Supporting and rewarding staff translates in high quality care for our highest risk cohort,” said Ms Church noting that while they welcome the small acknowledgment from the Government with the recently announced workforce bonus payments “this does not address the elephant in the room.
“We need more staff on the floor and these staff need to be rewarded appropriately for the work that they do everyday, not just with random bonus payments,” she concluded.
