File photo. Photo: 123RF
Multiple staff at a Whakatāne care home were demeaning and disrespectful to a resident in her seventies suffering a neurological condition in their care, the Aged Care Commissioner has found.
Commissioner Carolyn Cooper's report into Golden Pond Private Hospital found staff repeatedly failed to treat the woman with dignity and respect, including ignoring and at times berating her pleas to go to the toilet, and standing over and arguing with her while she was on the toilet.
The woman - called Mrs A - was in her seventies and lived at Golden Pond between May 2019 and November 2020, where she received hospital-level care for a neurological condition called progressive supranuclear palsy, affecting her speech, swallowing, eye movements and mobility.
She was deaf, needing face-to-face conversations, and had a history of depression.
Her daughter had installed security cameras in her mother's unit to watch over her belongings and to establish the cause of her falls, but became concerned with the way staff were treating her mother after reviewing the footage.
She lodged complaints over a number of matters with the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Cooper recommended that Golden Pond provide evidence of newly implemented staff training, including on elder abuse, in six months.
'Concerning pattern of disrespectful treatment' caught on video
Cooper watched 23 videos of interactions between staff members and Mrs A at Golden Pond, and found a "concerning pattern of demeaning and disrespectful treatment" involving six staff members, including two nurses.
While noting that each video only captured a short period of time, Cooper said the way staff spoke to Mrs A in a repeatedly negative way showed a culture of disrespect for those under Golden Pond's care.
Three videos between January and April 2020, relating to Mrs A toileting needs, were "particularly concerning".
A video from January 2020 showed a nurse arguing loudly with Mrs A while she was sitting on the toilet, while Mrs A sounded distressed. Cooper said a healthcare assistant, who was in Mrs A's bedroom, stated she was wasting staff time.
Cooper said the incident showed an "appalling disregard for Mrs A's dignity".
"While it is not clear what happened prior to the clip shown in the video, there is no conceivable circumstance in which it would be acceptable for a carer to stand over a vulnerable consumer and argue with them while they are on the toilet."
Another video, taken in April 2020, showed Mrs A sitting on a commode with a healthcare assistant standing next to her searching for toilet paper.
Cooper said the video showed Mrs A saying she could not go to the toilet while the healthcare assistant was there, and the assistant responding abruptly that other residents could.
A third video, from April 2020, showed Mrs A distressed and pleading to go to the toilet, but being told by healthcare assistants that her incontinence pad would suffice, and that she should have gone to the toilet earlier.
Cooper said the independent clinical adviser, registered nurse Julia Russell, called the incident a "severe departure from the accepted standard of care".
She said that concerns about Mrs A's care were raised as early as January 2020, but staff did not improve their conduct, and the situation was not adequately monitored for months.
While staff would have been under stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic during these months, it was not an excuse for the behaviour, Cooper said.
Cooper was also critical of Golden Pond's lack of records about Mrs A's care plan from the first half of 2020, and the fact that Golden Pond did not provide these records to the Health and Disability Commissioner after the investigation was launched.
Changes made since events
Cooper said that Golden Pond had made significant changes since a provisional decision relating to the investigation was released.
Staff received education and training including about elder abuse, respectful conduct, managing stress and challenging resident behaviours.
A new facility manager was appointed in 2021, and multiple policies, including one highlighting a zero tolerance towards abuse, were updated.
Cooper said a March 2025 audit of Golden Pond found that residents were safe from abuse, and there were no examples of discrimination, coercion or harassment.
Cooper recommended that Golden Pond provide evidence of the new training material and staff attendance records to the Health and Disability Commissioner in six months.
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