Aged care minister says he was disturbed by footage of elderly men being chemically and physically restrained

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

On the eve of the royal commission into the aged care sector’s first hearing, the Morrison government has flagged new regulations on the use of chemical and physical restraints in nursing homes.

There are no rules in Australia governing the use of restraints in aged care facilities, unlike the US, Britain and Europe.

The aged care minister, Ken Wyatt, said he was disturbed by footage on the ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night, which showed a New South Wales dementia patient docile after being given sedatives without his family’s permission. He had also spent 14 hours strapped to a chair. There was footage of another elderly man physically restrained, bunny hopping across the room.

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“That is unacceptable in this day and age and I’m not prepared to allow that to occur and nor is our government,” Wyatt told reporters in Perth.

“Today I’ve asked my department to prepare regulations that will protect senior Australians within residential care.”

He asked his department to pick up the pace on the issue and insisted there had been joint work going on with the Attorney General’s Department.

Asked about a time frame Wyatt said: “It’ll be within weeks at the most.”

Wyatt insisted the media reporting was not what prompted him to act quickly.

“If we neglect a child or we neglect an animal, there are penalties,” he said. “If we neglect a senior Australian, there is no measure other than state and territory legislation. One of the complexities of doing this is having to work with states and territories.”

There are some concerns the controversial practice of doping aged care residents with medication is being used to make up for a shortfall in staff.

Nursing homes turning residents into 'zombies', aged care royal commission to hear Read more

The royal commission’s first hearing is scheduled for Adelaide on Friday and commissioners Richard Tracey and Lynelle Briggs will outline their vision for how the inquiry will operate.

Their main task is to examine evidence of substandard aged care, abuse, systematic failures and draw up recommendations for improvement.

The commission will hold hearings in February and March in Adelaide before travelling across Australian cities and regional hubs.

The commission’s final report deadline is 30 April 2020.