Family furious as Carino Care nursing home fails 24 counts of care standards

The family of an elderly man with dementia and blindness, who was secretly filmed languishing in soiled and bloodied nappies, has hit out at the new aged care watchdog for not revoking a Sydney nursing home’s accreditation after it failed 24 counts of care standards.

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The Sydney nursing home where an elderly man with ­dementia and blindness was secretly filmed languishing in soiled and bloodied nappies has been found to have failed 24 counts of care standards by the new aged care watchdog.

Despite the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission finding that some patients at Carino Care have died in “pain and distress”, the Russell Lea facility has been allowed to continue to operate — at least until its current licence expires in November.

The family of Luigi Cantali, 80, slammed the watchdog as “a toothless tiger”.

Luigi Cantali, 80, sat in his soiled and bloodied nappies in the nursing home. Picture: Supplied

The commission found some residents died in “pain and stress”. Picture: Supplied

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Eva Rinaldi said the two months her father spent at the home before his death five days after being moved to ­another facility was unacceptable.

“Carino Care accreditation should be revoked for failing to meet care standards, what a joke this new watchdog is,” she said.

Mr Cantali suffered from dementia and blindness. Picture: Supplied

The care home’s managers were ordered by the watchdog to improve standards by November­ 30 if a new operating licence is to be issued.

The Commission issued a notice of non-compliance in June after an audit found the 48-bed facility had met just 20 of 44 “expected outcomes”.

It found there is no “effective system” to ensure staff have appropriate knowledge and skills, that “diabetic and oxygen management is not ­always provided as directed” and “enteral feeds are not ­always well managed”.

Mr Cantali’s family is angry Carino Care’s accreditation has not been revoked following the watchdog’s findings. Picture: Dylan Robinson

It also found staff did not meet expectations around palliative care, and identified issues with unplanned weight loss not being “sufficiently monitored”.

Carino Care said it had “learnt from the audit and is working closely in a regulatory process with the Department of Health and the … Commission­ to remedy the non-compliance”.

“The home has ­engaged the services of a nurse adviser and clinical consultant to support the home to meet the time frame for improvement,” a spokeswoman said.

“Carino Care takes its responsibilities as an approved provider of aged care seriously.”