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A Christchurch rest home has come under fire with revelations an
elderly woman wasn't showered for an entire year.
The Health and Disability Commissioner has released two damning
reports about the standard of care at Villa Gardens in
Addington.
Gordon Crackett aged 88 lost eight kilos in just 10 days in the
care of Villa Gardens rest home.
"My father actually starved and he was dehumanised in the time that he was in the hospital wing," says Sandra Moore, Gordon Crackett's daughter.
He had problems swallowing but wasn't given enough nutrients.
In the same home, an elderly woman lived in third world conditions.
As her dementia increased, she developed a fear of water and
wasn't showered for 12 months.
The Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner investigated both
cases and has found the home failed to provide reasonable care and
services, breaching the code of patient care.
It also found issues of inadequate staffing and poor communication.
But for Moore, the report doesn't go far enough.
"There doesn't seem to be any recommendations that I can see apart from an apology," she says.
She wants the government to put more controls on how rest homes
care for New Zealand's elderly.
"I believe this is complete tragedy and I do believe it can happen
again," she says.
And the company which owns Villa Gardens says major changes have
ben made since the problems arose last year.
"We're focused on improved training, improved communication, quality of care and getting the right people in the right positions," says Geoff Hipkins of Oceania Group.
A pathologist found Gordon Crackett died in the end from natural causes.
But his family will always wonder if he had been fed properly if things would have been different.
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