Maggots found on elderly patient

The daughter of an elderly man whose wounds became infected by maggots at a rest home says she was ‘‘sickened’’ by his treatment.

Her father was in palliative care at a rest home when his infected wounds caused him ‘‘unacceptable’’ suffering in his final months, an investigation has found.

In a report released yesterday, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall found Pukekohe’s Palms Lifecare rest home in breach of the patients’ rights code for failures in its care of the 86-year-old.

The man’s daughter Corina, who asked for her surname to be withheld, said she was ‘‘sickened’’ by the content of the report.

‘‘My dad was there to pass away but not like that,’’ she said.

‘‘They did not give him adequate pain medication, they did not bathe him. I have no doubt he was in agony. He was given Panadol when he should have been given oxycodone.’’

The man was given paracetamol despite being prescribed the stronger drug oxycodone, the report found. Oxycodone was given only when maggots on his toe were found.

The report stated her father lost 9.5 kilograms over his 12-week stay.

Corina said she notified staff that her father needed to be fed pureed food. ‘‘I told them he’s having trouble swallowing, he can’t lift his arms up to his face, you need to feed him.’’

The man was admitted with wounds on his legs but his dressings were changed infrequently, the report stated. He became ‘‘increasingly unwell’’ – experiencing three falls hitting his head, and losing weight.

He was not offered regular showers, his room and bed was found to be soiled with faeces and staff found maggots in necrotic (dead) tissue in his toes, the report stated.

The man had a history of heart failure, gout, chronic kidney disease and dementia, as well as a lower leg wound. He required assistance for personal care, needed supervision to go to the toilet and walked using a frame.

The rest home acknowledged the man’s pain relief was not increased, despite family requests. Staff did not administer charted oxycodone when changing his dressings, the report found.

At the time of events, two registered nurses were responsible for monitoring 60 residents.

Wall said ‘‘basic care’’ the man should have received was lacking. In his final days at the rest home, his family raised concerns his condition had deteriorated and made a formal complaint but there was no review or adequate response from senior staff.

The report stated he lost close to 10kg in weight in three weeks.

Having ‘‘significant’’ co-morbidities (multiple illnesses), it was ‘‘unacceptable that he suffered unnecessarily in his last months’’.

The number of failings by the rest home and its staff pointed to an environment that ‘‘did not sufficiently assist staff’’ to do what was required of them.

Norah Barlow, chief executive of Heritage Lifecare – which operates the Pukekohe rest home – said it was ‘‘disappointed’’ in the need for the report.

Tthere had since been a number of ‘‘corrective actions’’ taken at the recommendation of the HDC.

Heritage Lifecare had apologised to the man’s family.

‘‘My dad was there to pass away but not like that.’’

Corina

Patient’s daughter