'Horrifying' failings in care of 90-year-old

Labour is calling for minimum staffing levels to be enforced in rest homes after a report revealing "horrifying" failings in care given to a 90-year-old woman.

The Health and Disability Commissioner today ruled Northbridge Lifecare Trust had failed to provide appropriate care for the 90-year-old woman during her two week stay in 2009.

Throughout her admission the woman, known as Mrs A, refused food and medication.

By the time her daughter arrived to pick her up, she had lost more than 10 per cent of her body weight, her mouth was "bone-dry", her eyes were dry and painful, her hands were white and her finger-tips were blue.

She died two days after returning home, with doctors listing seven days of dehydration among the the underlying causes of her death.

The commissioner's ruling said the rest home should taken steps to ensure Mrs A was receiving enough fluids after she started refusing food and drink.

Its staff were stretched by a norovirus outbreak, and the home did not have the right policies in place to identify and act upon early warning signs of Mrs A's deterioration, the ruling said.

Labour Aged Care spokesman Kris Faafoi said the report reflected the "horrifying" rest home experiences faced by many older New Zealanders.

He said Northbridge Lifecare Trust did not have the resources to deal with a norovirus outbreak and provide care for Mrs A.

"Care of our older citizens is hugely undervalued. We need to need to ensure every facility has a safe number of quality trained staff. In turn they can then provide a level of care we would all expect and that older New Zealanders deserve.

"We will continue to call for adequate staffing while horror stories continue to make the headlines."

Mr Faafoi said there were 15 substantiated complaints last month about neglect, poor food standards and substandard medical treatment at rest homes in the Waikato region alone.

He said the number of people needing rest home care is set to skyrocket, with the number of over 65s tipped to increase 84 per cent by 2026.