As highlighted in the Royal Commission into Aged Care, sub-standard care of our most vulnerable is sadly all too common.
New research out of the US has revealed many such residents who are hospitalised develop preventable health problems after they go back to their aged care home.
555 peoples’ data was examined who were discharged from hospitals in a year-long period.
Researchers found there were 379 complications after a total of 762 discharges, with some residents hospitalised and returned home, more than once.
More than half of the complications were related to poor residential care resulting in conditions such as pressure sores, skin tears and falls.
A total of 38% of the complications were serious, 7.4% life-threatening and 2.1% fatal.
The report said that 70% of the adverse events were preventable.
These latest findings are not unique to the US.
We’ve heard from our own Royal Commission, of residents hospitalised and released from hospital too soon without the appropriate care plan communicated or implemented once they returned home.
Some residents had very poor prognoses suggesting that a more palliative approach should have been considered, rather than hospitalisation.
Such research does however highlight the need for improved communication between hospitals and aged care homes which can only be good news for the sector.
