Aged care food and lack of pain relief top list of complaints in report by Australian watchdog

A new report into aged care has revealed a slew of complaints ranging from pain medication issues to inedible food. See the full details.

Two thirds of aged care homes received at least one complaint in the past year, with inadequate pain management being one of the top concerns.

The aged care watchdog reported one in five aged care homes received more than one complaint and 205 homes received eight or more, according to a report published on Monday.

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said the report was a recommendation by the Royal Commission to help highlight “the importance of complaints in understanding older people’s experience of aged care”.

In residential aged care the most complaints – 702 – were about medication management and administration, including providing timely pain relief, palliative care, infections and drugs for managing diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

It said badly managed pain relief caused poor sleep, poor mental health and diminished quality of life, while medicine for diseases such as Parkinson’s medication was time-critical.

Janet Anderson, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, said the report was a recommendation by the Royal Commission to help highlight “the importance of complaints in understanding older people’s experience of aged care.” Picture: Britta Campion / The Australian

“If Parkinson’s medications are delayed or not taken, the person’s ability to move, speak and swallow can deteriorate very quickly,” the report said.

“Each person will have a unique schedule of medications – timing for each is critical. Consequences of delayed or missed medications can be life threatening.”

Apart from issues around medication, there were also 672 complaints about personal and oral hygiene, 607 about staffing levels, 559 about falls and 404 about food and catering.

More than half the reports came from family members and one in five complaints were anonymous, but only seven per cent of the complaints were made by residents themselves.

People receiving care were more likely to complain about the quality and variety of food, and the management and administration of their medication.

The watchdog launched a food, nutrition and dining hotline in July to allow residents to make complaints more easily.

Bad food is an issue for aged care residents.

The number of complaints about residential aged care have dropped from 6404 last financial year to 5077, while complaints about home care services increased from 3825 to 4015.

The report highlighted the watchdog’s work around one residential home, which saw a significant rise in complaints over a five-week period, including complaints about wound treatment and medication errors.

An officer was tasked to investigate all of the issues and found there were more than 40 unfilled shifts in the months prior to the complaints.

Following an unannounced site visit by the watchdog, the home was found to be lacking in six areas and it was issued a directive to improve.

More than 9000 complaints were made about aged care services in the last financial year.

The most complaints about home care services were around the lack of consultation and communication, and financial matters, particularly fees and charges.

People receiving home services were more likely than family members and representatives to complain about the availability or quality of general house cleaning, being able to go shopping with a support worker, domestic assistance and the way providers communicated fees and charges.

Most complaints were resolved through early resolution, but a formal resolution process was put in place to deal with 277 complaints raising 1080 issues in residential care and nine complaints about home services.

National Seniors Australia COO Chris Grice said the report highlighted that too many people were not getting the care they deserved.

“The report is like the canary in the coalmine, letting people know what’s happening in the system,” Mr Grice said.

Dietitians Australia acting CEO Natalie Stapleton encouraged people to phone the food hotline, which is staffed by accredited dietitians, if they were unhappy with the quality of their meals.

The Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline is 1800 844 044.