Death from preventable causes in the nation’s nursing homes is up 400 per cent, as advocates lead the charge for increased investment into aged care.
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At a conference in Hobart on Thursday, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation federal secretary Lee Thomas called for additional resources to be urgently spent on staffing increases in the sector.
She said the three most common causes of avoidable death in nursing homes were falls, 81.5 per cent, choking, 7.9 per cent, and suicide, 4.4 per cent.
Ms Thomas said these deaths often occurred not because medical professionals did not care, but because they did not have enough time to spend with residents in homes across Australia.
“We have to change it and we have to change in quickly,” she said.
“It’s not right, it’s not fair, and it’s got to stop.”
