The family-owned operator, which operates aged care homes in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, has revealed it will no longer accept residents living with dementia who have special care needs.
"We will care for any current or future residents living with dementia," CEO Russell Egan told The SOURCE, "but we will not have specialised dementia wings or accept dementia residents with specialised care needs."
In announcing the decision in a LinkedIn post, Russell gave six reasons:
a. Increased risk to residents due to pressure on hospitals to place residents with dangerous behaviours in permanent residential care;
b. Security of tenure is problematic when hospitals and families misrepresent the nature of a resident’s behaviours and following grant of a permanent placement the process to require a resident to leave is onerous;
c. The pool of suitable dementia residents is falling due to the expansion of home care in caring for people with mild dementia, placing pressure on occupancy levels;
d. The declining business viability of committing rooms to dementia care when the Commonwealth Government does not pay for vacant bed days, whilst any agreement with the Queensland Government for subcontracted places would pay for all vacant bed days;
e. The increased complexity, regulation and documentation of care delivery for dementia residents resulting in increased risk of non-compliance;
f. The inadequate AN-ACC funding level for dementia residents considering the above risk factors.
Russell wrote: "Caring for dangerous dementia behaviours is a 24/7 responsibility for which AN-ACC is not properly resourced, providers are not equipped with the necessary right to remove incompatible residents. keeping beds available for dementia care in a shrinking market makes it difficult for the capital owner to generate a commercial return."
In September 2024, Russell told The SOURCE they were at 98% occupancy and experiencing "very strong demand" and at times he had to close beds due to staff shortages.
It's estimated that about 60% of aged care residents are living with dementia.
Have you have experienced some of the issues outlined above in caring for residents living with dementia who have specialised needs? Share your experiences with us by emailing editor@theweeklysource.com.au
