Horror stories persist in the rest home sector, a year on from a report into the shocking conditions at a dementia unit.

They include a dying rest home resident being denied morphine, medication mistakes, hungry residents getting a single sausage roll for dinner, and families being left in the dark over serious injuries or assaults.

A consumer advocate says the appalling conditions seen in rest homes would not be tolerated at childcare centres, yet some of the country's worst rest homes are allowed to remain open.

Of the country's rest homes, 26 had major shortfalls in their last Ministry of Health audit report.

The Ministry of Health refused an Official Information Act request for the full reports, making it difficult to know the full circumstances surrounding these serious shortfalls.

The ministry did release the full audit reports into five of seven rest homes where complaints had been received, revealing details of residents being neglected, starved and endangered.

The issues included: Family members illegally signing "do not resuscitate" orders; unused, expired antibiotics being kept in a jar for emergencies; a distressed, dying patient not given morphine; residents losing weight.

All but one of the seven rest homes are still operating, but three are under new management.

Consumer NZ research writer Jessica Wilson said more transparency was needed around the rest home industry.

"These are very vulnerable people. If these types of things - the horror stories and neglect - were going on in childcare centres it would not be allowed to happen," she said.

"A home may have a series of problems. It might be investigated but the problems are still there a year or so later."

The Ministry of Health should make the full audit reports of every rest home publicly available, rather than just the summary reports at present, she said.

"We don't think they're providing enough information or the type of information consumers need.

"The summary audit reports do not provide a history of the rest home or specific details about shortfalls."

Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill described an Auckland dementia care unit as "worse than a prison" in a report into Taikura Trust in April 2012.

The rest home illegally held a 43-year-old woman in the unit for more than a year. The woman has since died.

At the time, Hill said the case should send a clear message to the sector to get the basics right.

One year on and some rest homes have not cleaned up their act. Age Concern receives numerous complaints, with food being a major issue.

Chief executive Ann Martin said residents complained of being served small portions, repetitive meals and pureed food when they could eat solids.

At one rest home, mince and sausages was a mainstay of the menu. Complaints also included rough handling and verbal abuse by carers, and suspicious falls, with families feeling ill-informed.

Residents were sometimes forced up early or to bed late due to poor staffing levels, she said.

"It would be wise for a person trying to decide on a rest home to visit and see how residents are treated and cared for by staff."

Ministry of Health chief medical officer Dr Don Mackie declined the OIA request for full reports due to the volume of information.

Summary reports are available to the public without "impairing the efficient administration" of the ministry, he said.

HORROR STORIES

- Morphine given erratically to dying patient. At times the patient was given no morphine, despite the person's anxiety.

-One small sausage roll or can of baked beans given for main meal. Food prepared hours ahead of time and often cold.

-A lettuce and cabbage were the resident's vegetables for the week.

-Residents at one home losing up to 4kg.

-Families not notified of their relatives suffering accidents.

-No privacy provided for the portable toilet.

-Family signed 'do not resuscitate' order, when it was the patient's choice.

-Failure to report a major gastro- outbreak at rest home.

-Expired, unused antibiotics stored in "emergency antibiotic box".

-Patients given the wrong drugs.

-Spare tablets, labelled by hand, kept in jar for staff use.