Hard times for the elderly in some geriatric homes for the aged.
Six cases in homes were reported to police to investigate criminal intent, three homes have been closed, 30 others are in “extreme conditions of non-compliance” and out of 217 such homes registered with the Health Ministry, only one is licensed.
Worse, out of the unlicensed homes, nine receive state funding.
These and other “eye-openers” were provided by Social Development and Health Ministry officials who were grilled yesterday by Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Social Development and Public Administration.
Independent Senator Paul Richards, heading the JSC, repeatedly expressed shock over some revelations. Saying the elderly is a very vulnerable group, he added that the State has to set benchmarks for standards of care. He said cultural change is also needed if families are “shuffling off” relatives to geriatric homes.
Health Ministry permanent secretary Asif Ali said many homes for the elderly lack licences. Their database shows of 217 homes, only one of which is licensed.
“That should be shocking for T&T!” Richards declared, adding they were breaking the law.
Health Ministry’s Beesham Seetaram said the ministry wrote homes warning of breaches and 37 responded to register and apply for licences—in the last two days.
Social Development Ministry inspector Gashiya Siwaju (Division of Aging) said nine unlicensed homes receive state subvention.
She said scores of complaints were received from about 66 homes which were inspected. Thirty of the 66 cases were resolved within a month as the division couldn’t substantiate abuse claims. But homes are being regulated for other non-compliance issues.
Siwaju said six cases submitted to the police are currently receiving attention. She said division personnel were accompanied by police on visits regarding those cases and police indicated criminal intent was evident.
She said police advised them that one matter was recently closed but no criminal charges were laid. No criminal charges have been laid against any service provider, owner, employee(s) in 2017-2018, she added.
Siwaju said her division visited the homes involved in the six cases and identified instances of mistreatment of elders and neglect; instances verging on human rights abuses.
The residents in question were sent to hospital for assessment and then to decanting centres. Some were taken by relatives and others to homes where conditions were better.
Siwaju said three of the homes were closed but the ministry lacked the ability to know if they’re operating from other areas. A number of homes where evidence of complaint could not be found are being monitored. She said 33 per cent of homes the division inspected were non-compliant with the majority of regulations for standards of care, while about 30 homes are in “extreme conditions of non-compliance.”
Ministry toothless to act
In one case, the ministry removed a resident but relatives were upset and felt the ministry had disrupted the situation. She admitted, however, that the ministry has limited power, even to enter.
“Some carers/caregivers don’t even know they’re abusing residents and that their rights are being violated. Things like barring them from the phone or relatives. Some think it’s fancy when, in fact, it’s basic human rights. They feel they’re following orders so training is needed at management levels. Inefficient management makes for poorly run homes,” Siwaju said.
“The homes that rent property particularly cannot comply with physical requirements such as screen privacy for residents. But the biggest gap is the cultural shift in T&T where people are placed in substandard homes by relatives who’ve seen the homes; here we see a shuffling off of care. Education and training are needed. We also need full power to do this in a real way because we’re making do now. It’s insufficient.”
On a St James home which the JSC previously found to have housed mentally ill and young inmates among the elderly, Siwaju said that home didn’t get a government subvention and no criminal charges were involved there. But it was non-compliant with changes for safety and support.
Ali said he wasn’t aware of that issue.
The matter incensed JSC member Glenda Jennings-Smith, who queried why the two ministries were giving “excuses”.
Social Development deputy permanent secretary Dennis Williams said proclamation of law empowering relevant agencies to better supervise homes is expected by June 2019.
Review of regulations will be completed in December. Three out of five manuals for homes will be ready by January 2019 and the others are en route. Standards for safety will be discussed with stakeholders in February and building codes are with the Planning Ministry.
Health’s Ali agreed both ministries’ relationship needed strengthening and be more “results-based.”