Peter Cahill’s death could have been avoided, family claim

A grieving woman has told of her pain over the way her father was allegedly treated by aged care staff in the last few hours of his life.

The family of Peter Cahill say they are “scarred” by the manner in which he died and believe he would still be alive today if he had got the right medical help.

His daughter Lee-Anne said if a child had died in similar circumstances, there would be a public outcry, but because her father was an 82-year-old man, she believes his life was deemed less important.

There were 866 reported unexpected deaths in aged care in the 12 months to March – one of which was Mr Cahill’s.

“His life mattered, elderly people’s lives matter,” Ms Cahill, 52, who works for a Victorian law firm, said.

“He didn’t want to die. He loved his footy, he loved me bringing the dogs in to visit. He loved his family, especially his grandkids.

“He enjoyed his life.

Lee-Anne Cahill is unhappy with how her fathers aged care home dealt with his last few hours of life. Picture: Mark Stewart

“In the end he suffered, which is horrible.”

Ms Cahill believes staff, at his Melbourne aged care home, should have called triple-0 when her father first vomited early in the evening, due to his complex medical issues.

Instead a patient transfer ambulance was called a few hours later at 9.30pm, by which time he was snoring so loudly it could be heard down the corridor.

But Mr Cahill was not asleep, as staff told the family. Paramedics arrived to find he was in respiratory distress, so called for backup from an emergency ambulance crew.

He died in hospital the next day.

The cause of death was due to aspiration, which is when food or another substance gets sucked into the lungs.

Peter Cahill, with his daughter, Lee-Anne Cahill, on her wedding day in 1999. She is unhappy with how her fathers aged care home dealt with his last few hours of life. Picture: Supplied

Peter Cahill was a loving family man. Picture: Mark Stewart

Ms Cahill believes her dad drowned after breathing in his own vomit.

The family awaits a coroner’s investigation on when Mr Cahill went into respiratory distress.

In the meantime the aged care watchdog found there was no proof that staff checked on Mr Cahill between calling for a patient transfer ambulance and paramedics arriving two and a half hours later and that they also did not respond to a buzzer Mr Cahill’s wife Deidre pressed.

“My dad suffered terribly prior to the paramedics arriving which is intolerable and inexcusable,” Ms Cahill said.

She said her father, a former electrician, suffered a series of strokes over 20 years, but he wasn’t expected to die and he had a strong will to live.

“He was a good man,” Ms Cahill said.

“It’s a really sad story, these people deserve better.”