The Chief Ombudsman is concerned that people are being put in secure aged care facilities without the proper legal authority, and wants a centralised register to be established so that facilities know who holds Enduring Power of Attorney for whom.
Peter Boshier has just released a report on his inspections and visits to 148 secure residential aged care facilities around the country from 2021 to 2024. He says in the vast majority of facilities visited, at least one resident didn't have a legal basis for being placed in secure care, and at a small number of facilities, almost half of the residents didn't have the proper paperwork.
The report also raises concerns about the way residents are restrained, saying psychogeriatric residents are at increased risk of being subjected to excessive restrictions or restraint. Peter Boshier joins Kathryn to discuss the report, ahead of his retirement as Chief Ombudsman at the end of the month, after 10 years.
Asian elderly woman playing puzzles game to practice brain training for dementia prevention, Alzheimer disease. Photo: 123RF
