Aged care abuse inquiry opens in SA
AN INVESTIGATION of abuse and other issues across Australia’s aged care sector will be conducted amid a “rising torrent” of concern that the industry is faltering in areas of safety and quality, a royal commission has heard.
Opening a near year-long investigation of the industry in Adelaide yesterday, one of two commissioners Richard Tracey said the royal commission was a once-in-a-lifetime op- portunity to create a better system of care for elderly Australians.
“The hallmark of a civilised society is how it treats its most vulnerable people,” he said.
The royal commission, which will be based in Adelaide but hold hearings in other states, will examine the extent of sub-standard care and consider how services can be improved.
It was sparked in part by the revelations of abuse and poor treatment of dementia patients at Adelaide’s state government-run Oakden nursing home.
One of the Oakden whistleblowers, Stewart Johnston, said he expected the inquiry to reveal the ugly truths about what was happening in some aged care facilities.
“I’ve been privy to some horrendous stories,” he said yesterday.