Old age home probed in WCape

MickeyD

MickeyD

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A Western Cape old age home is being investigated for alleged abuse of the elderly, Western Cape Social Development MEC Albert Fritz said on Monday.

"The department of social development has launched an investigation into the unregistered Serendipity Old Age Home, after serious allegations of elder abuse were raised."

He said the allegations ranged from deaths due to poor treatment and human rights violations.

"A specialist investigator from NGO Action on Elder Abuse SA has been enlisted to thoroughly investigate the Serendipity Old Age Home."

He said if there was a need to go to court to obtain an order to close the old aged home, they would do so.

"If any criminal conduct is uncovered through our investigations, the matter will be referred to the South African Police Services for further investigations and prosecution."

Fritz said the Older Persons Act stipulated that all residential facilities (old age homes) have to be registered with the department of social development.

"Responsibility is placed on owners of such facilities to ensure they are registered, and most importantly comply with the norms and standards set out by national legislation."

He said the Act empowered the department to play an important oversight role, and monitor the level of care received by older persons at all registered facilities.

"If any information is received regarding an unregistered facility, the department immediately acts to make contact with that facility, with the aim of moving it towards compliance."

He said to further protect the elderly, the provincial department was in the process of investigating the possibility of establishing a dedicated inspectorate within the department that would be tasked with not only identifying unregistered facilities throughout the province, but also assessing all human rights matters and operational norms and standards at all residential facilities.

Source : Sapa /mm/lp
Date : 03 Nov 2014 19:15
 
Another death at controversial old age home

Cape Town - Another resident from the Serendipity Old Age Home in Cape Town has died - the sixth in one month - bringing the total number of deaths in five months to 16, the Sunday Times reports.

Serendipity, owned by Sharon Roberts, made headlines last week amid claims that residents are neglected, drugged to keep them quiet and fed food past the expiry date.

The newspaper reports that there was a debate on Seredipity in legislature last week and that the Western Cape department of social development has vowed to bring criminal charges against Roberts should a probe into the unregistered home find evidence of wrongdoing.

In addition, Social Development MEC Albert Fritz said he was considering introducing an inspectorate to investigate old-age homes and abuse of the elderly.

Conditions

News24 reported last week that a caregiver, a former cleaner and the daughter of a resident spoke out and said that wounds of residents were left untreated, that bedsores and scabies were common and that residents were drugged or locked in the bathroom to keep them quiet.

In one incident, a staff member was ordered to use old food that had been put down for the dog and serve it to residents.

This comes after the Democratic Alliance warned last year that several old age homes in the country were in need of repair and maintenance.

DA spokesperson Mike Waters said at the time that some of the facilities could be regarded as health and safety hazards in their present state.

"We call on the [social development] department to determine whether there is any rollover of funds in its annual budget that can be reallocated to the maintenance and repair of these facilities," he said.

Waters said if not, the department should call on the finance minister to allocate other funds to help the elderly.

He said he had written to the Human Rights Commission to investigate whether the rights of the elderly were not being violated.

"The department must ensure that it budgets sufficient funds to ensure that all old age homes are in an excellent condition and that the health and lives of the elderly are not at risk," said Waters.
Click to expand...
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Another-death-at-controversial-old-age-home-20141102
 
Old-age home a hell of horrors

Cape Town - Fifteen residents of an unregistered old-age home in Cape Town have allegedly died in the past five months amid allegations of gross neglect, reports the Sunday Times.

According to the newspaper, the deaths at the home, Serendipity, in Panorama, represent about half the number of residents.

A caregiver, a former cleaner and the daughter of a resident have however spoken out and said that wounds were left untreated, that bedsores and scabies were common and that residents were drugged or locked in the bathroom to keep them quiet, reports the newspaper.

In one incident, a staff member was ordered to use old food that had been put down for the dog and serve it to residents.

On Friday however, officials from the Health Department carried out an inspection in what was apparently part of the process for a licence that Roberts had applied for.

Serendipity meanwhile is owned by Sharon Roberts, who lives in Hermanus and reportedly leaves the pensioners in the care of workers who have no nursing qualifications.

Roberts has however denied that the residents have been neglected but acknowledged that the home was not equipped to care for the frail.
Click to expand...
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Old-age-home-a-hell-of-horrors-20141026
 
Can't imagine having to live out my last days in an old age home like this one is purported to be. Old people can be more infuriating than small children but the idea of them being maltreated is distressing. Years ago a woman went public with accusations of assault in one of the Randburg homes and horrible pictures of stitches in her scalp were published in the local paper. The home in question isn't cheap. I'll try to find a link.
 
if the stories are true, i wish only the very worst living hell imaginable on sharon roberts for the remainder of her miserable life.
may each and every day bring more suffering & torment to her than the last !
 
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