‘Emergency situation’: Aged care in crisis as Omicron rips through facilities

Queensland’s aged care facilities are being pushed to breaking point as more than 100 active outbreaks cause major staff shortages and force residents to hunker down in their rooms.

Aged care facilities are facing an “emergency situation” with over 100 active outbreaks across Queensland pushing staff to the brink and forcing elderly residents to lockdown in their rooms for weeks on end.

Recent federal government figures from January 14 have shown 133 outbreaks across the state’s 500-plus aged care facilities, involving 367 residents and 620 staff.

Nationally there are 1107 outbreaks in aged care.

With severe staff shortages, Paul Sadler, chief executive of Aged and Community Services Australia, said aged care is in an “emergency situation” and advised visitations be cut back.

“Aged care providers welcome scrutiny from the regulator - the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. It is important that everyone acts responsibly and that visits to residential care homes of any sort are kept to a minimum during Covid-19 outbreaks.”

Rising cases and increased lockdowns have meant residents are stuck without direct contact with their loved ones for long periods of time.

Aged and Community Services CEO Paul Sadler. Picture: John Appleyard

“Because it’s so widespread in the community, we’re getting constant restarts of the lockdowns. The reality is residents might be locked down for weeks and weeks in their rooms.”

Meanwhile, the virus has also stretched staff to breaking point with Mr Sadler saying the current outbreak has “sidelined huge sections” of the workforce while residents suffer the consequences.

“We have aged care homes reporting up 25 to 35 per cent of their staff off because of isolation rules,” Mr Sadler said.  

“Many older Australians are dealing with anxiety and isolation, as more residential homes deal with outbreaks. Others will be put at risk by staff shortages.”

With hundreds of outbreaks across the state, Mr Sadler said “we can expect things to get worse before they get better”.

“There is no end in sight yet...we cannot pretend this won’t have a serious effect on the older people in our care. The kind of tragedy that can eventuate from large numbers of workers being furloughed during the pandemic cannot be repeated.”

Facilities that haven’t been directly impacted by the virus are allowing visitors on a conditional basis with industry code advising stricter restrictions are enforced when there is substantial exposure in the community.

Rules are also in place at state-run facilities only allowing vaccinated visitors who haven’t been interstate or overseas in the past 14 days to enter.

However, a spokeswoman for Queensland Health said that out of an “abundance of caution” there could be recommendations to restrict visitors to avoid further spread within facilities.

“This is not new, and has been a standard process throughout the pandemic,” she said.

“The Chief Health Officer is very confident in the local management of cases and clusters by our Public Health Units. Covid-19 is now widespread in Queensland and inevitably affects healthcare and aged care settings.”

Dr John Gerrard is confident in the management of the Public Health Units. Picture: Richard Walker

Meanwhile, private facilities are able to impose stricter rules if they deem it necessary.

At UnitingCare, some homes have or have had temporary visitor restrictions in place to protect residents.

“As this situation evolves, it can be expected for this practice to continue, allowing us to provide the highest quality of compassion and care,” a spokesperson for UnitingCare Queensland said.

Recently, when a staff member at Carinity Hilltop in Kelvin Grove tested positive for the virus, the facility went into a temporary lockdown.

“Following the direction of the Public Health Unit, non-essential visits to Hilltop have been suspended until further notice,” a statement from the provider said.

Covid tests for residents and staff were requested by the government and residents were closely monitored for symptoms.

However, in most cases, providers are still allowing visits in end-of-life circumstances, and some exemptions on compassionate grounds.

A Beenleigh family are facing a “frightening” situation after their 84-year-old mother living in a residential aged care facility tested positive for Covid while she remains still waiting to receive her vaccine booster shot.

Hazel Walsh, who also is diagnosed with dementia, is yet to receive her booster shot despite her daughter Janee Hong alerting the facility she was due for her booster in October last year.

Ms Hong said that her mother is a “tough old bird” but the situation was “entirely preventable”.

Hazel Walsh’s family hold grave concerns for her as she is due for her vaccine booster.

“Whether you believe in vaccinations or not, these vulnerable age care residents should have had the choice back when they were meant to have their boosters back in October to have the best possible chance or symptoms or succumbing to the actual virus.”

Ms Hong hasn’t seen her mother since Boxing Day after her aged care centre in Logan went into lockdown and a staff member tested positive.

“The nursing home is being as supportive as they can be but we’re all very angry that the federal government was meant to have arranged this booster program,” she said.

“Why have they let it go on so long?

“Now they are coming in late January but it’s a bit like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.”

Ms Hong said she had heard that a couple of residents in the facility had passed away in the last few weeks, but was unaware of the circumstances.

“You hear on the press conferences that people have died who are double vaccinated, but well, were they boosted?”

“And then if someone does pass away in the nursing home, and they are not triple vaccinated, the question needs to be asked; have we really done the right thing by our aged care population?”

She said that her mother “doesn’t quite understand” what is going on, and her dementia has made it too difficult to source a booster outside the facility.

“It’s a very frightening situation,” she said.

“If we’re going through this as a family, it makes me think, there must be so many others out there like us.”

Originally published as ‘Emergency situation’: Aged care in crisis as Omicron rips through facilities