Survey reveals grim truth
When a national healthcare roadshow reached South Taranaki its news was bleak.
Yes We Care, a campaign by the Public Services Association, said it had uncovered local stories of elderly resorting to eating tinned cat food and other health concerns were higher than the national average.
The research came from a national survey of 6000 health workers - the overall result was that 90 per cent of those felt they didn’t have enough staff or resources to do their jobs.
Simon Oosterman, the coordinator of Yes We Care, said although none of the Hawera health care workers who had spoken out made it on the day, he could share some of their stories.
There was one scenario where a health worker assessed an elderly woman who resorted to eating tinned cat food because she could not afford food and her rates.
There were also instances where other elderly people would not put their heat on in the home because they couldn’t afford the increase in electricity.
Oosterman said these sort of instances, as well as hours being cut to spend with patients, led to Hawera healthcare workers going to homes and working outside their paid shifts because they knew there was a need to help.
‘‘The people that work in the health care industry are there because they care,’’ he said.