Respite stay ended in a fatal tumble

The family of an elderly man who died following a fall at a rest home says they are struggling to find a way to live with the loss of their “king of the mountain”.

The man, in his 80s, fell on the first night he was admitted in 2019 for a short period of respite care at Victoria Place Rest Home and Hospital in south Waikato. The home is owned by Oceania Care Company Limited.

He died two weeks later after being rushed to hospital when the family insisted an ambulance be called.

“As a family, we have suffered a lot over the past four and a half years, blaming ourselves, over and over imagining the shock, fear and pain that dad suffered in those dark, lonely hours,” his daughter told NZME.

In a report released this week, the Aged Care Commissioner said following the man’s fall, hospital staff did not adequately respond to his deteriorating condition.

Carolyn Cooper, whose role involved acting as part of the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, has found Oceania Care Company Limited breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights for respite care provided to a resident.

The man had various health challenges, including Parkinson’s disease, and he was unsteady on his feet. He was also partially blind and hard of hearing. Despite this, he was still very “with it”, intelligent, stoic and a gentleman, his daughter said.

He was usually cared for at home, but had gone into respite care for five days.

The family told NZME they now feel he “may have been safer had he been left home alone”. They said the nursing staff not only failed to keep him safe but, after he fell, they failed to get him the urgent, life-saving medical treatment he needed for another two days.

Oceania said it “deeply regretted” the events outlined in the report and acknowledged the impact the man’s death has had on his family.

It also apologised for the fact he did not receive the expected standard of care and acknowledged the man’s clinical records did not meet its standards of clinical practice.

Oceania has since made several changes, including to its management, and the region is now overseen clinically by a registered nurse with previous management experience.