Mag defends naked photos of elderly 

Nurses and clinicians specialising in geriatric care are outraged at photographs of naked rest home residents in the latest issue of the journal of the New Zealand Nurses' Organisation.

The photo essay shows pictures of elderly women being showered, toileted and dressed at two homes in Christchurch and Wellington. 

The magazine, Kaitiaki, says it was focusing on aged care and the photo essay shows the intimacy and value of caregivers' work. 

It says all those involved gave their consent and the purpose was to raise the profile of caregivers in resthomes and their case for better pay.

Co-editor Anne Manchester says while the photos are graphic they show the reality of daily life in a rest-home.

She says the photos were taken several years ago for a book which never eventuated, and Kaitiaki chose to run them because this month's issue focuses on aged care. 
 
"Caregivers deal with people 24 hours a day and they often see them naked, and they  often have to clean them and feed them and toilet them. That is the nature of their work," Manchester says.

But Beth Kelly, a registered nurse and rest home manager, says the photos are an appalling abuse of elderly people's right to dignity and privacy. 

Kelly says the gerontology committee of the organisation has lodged an official complaint with the organisation and with the magazine. 

A spokesperson for the gerontology section says the publication of the photos is a form of elder abuse.