Andergrove man says he holds ‘grave concerns’ for Westminster Lodge Mackay

The son of a woman staying at a regional retirement community has voiced his concerns over the alleged conditions some of the residents endure including no emergency phones. But the manager has hit back saying she is being bullied.

Andergrove resident Mark Alterator has voiced concerns over the alleged conditions at a Mackay retirement accommodation. Picture: Janessa Ekert

An Andergrove man has voiced his “grave concerns” over the conditions a number of elderly residents face at a Mackay retirement village including no available dining or kitchen facilities and no emergency phones.

Mark Alterator, whose mother lives at Westminster Lodge Mackay, said he had heard a resident had died in her room and was not found for about four days.

He said the room was then just cleaned up and rerented.

Mr Alterator said the problems began when new management took over.

However the manager of the Don Wright Ct retirement community told the Daily Mercury she was being bullied.

“If people don’t like their place they’re very free to move out,” she said on Monday afternoon.

She said reports of a woman dying and not being found for day “was a long time ago”.

“That was not under me,” she said.

“It’s not a manager’s duty to check every day, we are not a nursing house at all.”

Andergrove resident Mark Alterator has alleged some residents did not have working airconditioning or fridges. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Mr Alterator said his mother had been living at the lodge for just more than 12 months with the new manager taking over about 10 months ago.

“They shut the kitchen down and gave them 24 hours notice there would be no more food,” he said.

“A lot of them are having Meals on Wheels … or their families have had to come in and feed them every day.

“Or the ones who are mobile are going to Woolworths and buying food and feeding people.”

However management hit back saying it had not been financially feasible to keep the kitchen open and that the facility was not a nursing home.

The kitchen was being run as a separate business and initially only about 15 of the 38 residents were using the onsite food service, the manager said, adding this had since dropped to about five or 10.

Recently a number of community members had attempted to use the kitchen to cook meals for the residents and it is understood the manager told them to leave.

She told this publication because the kitchen had been listed as officially closed there were certain council procedures that needed to be followed before it could be legally used.

“If someone wants help, just help the people who want help,” she said, adding she had received complaints from residents about wondering why there were strangers at the lodge.

Mr Alterator also said there was no defibrillator onsite and no working emergency phones.

The manager said it was not a nursing home so a defibrillator was not needed but she added she would investigate comments that there was no working emergency line.

Mr Alterator said there were residents who didn’t have working air conditioners or fridges.

“They’re not being replaced,” he said.

“The whole place is horrific.”

The manager said she took any complaints or property repair issues to the landlords who own the properties at the address – if any repair job was under $200 she could make a decision otherwise it had to do to the landlord.

“Just because they don’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not there,” she said.