Autumn Aged Care

low quality individual care – I toured this facility a couple of weeks ago with view to having my mum placed as a permanent resident. The tour was guided by [Name Removed], Community Engagement Officer. Throughout the tour I asked questions, such as ‘is it possible that staff could be requested to wear masks when entering a room’. This question relates to one of my mum’s conditions, that being a serious lung disease, consequently any unnecessary exposure is a considerable risk for her. [Name Removed] said yes we can accommodate that. I asked if room doors can be locked upon request of the resident, predominantly to stop wandering residents from freely entering. My mum also has spinal stenosis which makes it difficult for her to walk. I asked if staff could unlock/lock as they enter/leave. This was confirmed as being possible. Upon leaving the facility I did ask [Name Removed] about the nurses/clinical staff and their infection control protocols, namely ‘hygiene’ when sneezing. I noted to him that I had witnessed a nurse very sloppily sneeze into her arm, in the reception area. I said that I found this somewhat alarming. [Name Removed] dismissed my question by saying all staff are trained on these matters. Fast forward to my mother residing in a hospital bed now, and currently and requiring a bed in a facility. Skye Lodge was contacted by the hospital Social Worker with regard to any bed availability. [Name Removed], Community Engagement Manager, at Skye Lodge, informed the Social Worker that they concluded that they could not accommodate my mum’s residency due to ‘not being able to meet requests’. The Social Worker encouraged me to contact the facility direct to get clarity on this. I spoke with [Name Removed], and she claimed that there were requests with regard to infection control which they didn’t feel they could meet. I told [Name Removed] that both of these requests were discussed on a tour, and both were confirmed to be possible. [Name Removed] urged me to find ‘another facility’ that could accommodate these requests. I asked why the requests weren’t able to be met and she continued with her reply of ‘sorry we don’t feel we can meet your requests’. Incidentally, five months ago I became a support person for an elderly neighbour. My elderly neighbour had no family in this country and no one to advocate on his behalf. It came time that he required transferring to an aged care facility. I contacted Skye Lodge, spoke with [Name Removed] and enquired about rooms etc. I gave information with regard to my neighbour’s individual needs, as being low care, and subsequently was asked to keep them up to date when my neighbour received an aged care assessment code. From that initial phone call onwards, I received call after call for weeks, from [Name Removed] and their staff, as to whether my neighbour had been assessed for aged care yet, and did I have a code with which for them to reference and use. It got to the point I asked them to stop calling me. On reflection now, considering the vastly different responses I’ve encountered with Skye Lodge, it’s now evident to me that this facility is all about the $$$. The low care residents seem to be the preference, for a very obvious reason. They take less staffing hours to maintain. Certainly a potential low care resident with no other family would be absolutely ideal for this facility. No fuss from any outsiders that they would need to consider or deal with. Heaven forbid a resident requires some individual considerations, such as staff wearing masks in their room – you would not get that at this facility. This Autumn Aged Care facility claims ‘Excellence | Every Resident | EveryTime’. I highly doubt that. This facility is extremely choosy and discriminative in its approval of residents. They obviously do not want to cater to simple requests that an individual may make. Requests from a vulnerable resident that may wish a little extra protection is not something they will consider. Requests from a resident that their room be as safe as possible, using the lock provided, is not something they will consider. These things aren’t a priority for them. They differ with the impressions they give to the community with regard to who and what they can facilitate, depending on who you speak with. However they do something very well, they will vigorously seek out potential residents they feel will be ‘easy’ for them. To the point of badgering. And this is ultimately what they’re about. For any person reading this and seeking the best possible place for their loved one, one in which the individual & their concerns are considered and prioritised, then give this facility a very wide berth. You would be doing yourself and your loved one a very big favour.