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Edmund Hillary Retirement Village - Source: ONE News -
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A rest home where an elderly man fell, and later died, is
defending its practices and its standards.
Eighty-year-old Gil Dean died in October 2008 in Auckland Hospital,
after a fall at the Edmund Hillary Retirement Village, in
Remuera.
Although a Health and Disability Commission report said there were
no lapses in his care, it said there was a breach in documentation
and communication issues.
It took two days for Gil to receive hospital treatment, and he
was then diagnosed with broken ribs, a broken eye socket and a
possible broken neck.
Gil's son Lloyd told the Breakfast programme the retirement home
has not sincerely apologised nor offered adequate
compensation.
The retirement village says Gil insisted a number of times he was
fine, and not in need of extra medical attention.
But Lloyd said his father was a "stoic old guy" who would not complain or show pain as he "didn't like to be a bother to anyone".
"I would imagine there would be medical professionals that could see through that [bravado]. We entrusted dad's care and wellbeing to Ryman Healthcare."
Doctor David Kerr, the chair of Ryman Healthcare which owns the retirement village, said Gil was seen by 30 different staff in the 36 hours after his fall, and assessed.
"When I look at the notes I find on many occasions they asked him whether he had pain&he denied pain on most of the occasions and that's one of the complexities of looking after older people."
Kerr said Gil's doctor visited him and he made an assessment
over what pain medication was needed.
He insists the appropriate standard of care was provided.
The rest home said the Health and Disability Commissioner stressed there was no link between its breaches of documentation and communication and the elderly man's death.
Kerr said Gil Dean died from pneumonia, not from the fall. He says they apologised to the Dean family in November 2008 and, as a result of the report, have submitted another apology.
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