The number of people reporting issues for people with dementia in regional Victoria is increasing, according to an analysis of calls received by Victorian group Elder Rights Advocacy.

The revelations come as the federal government prepares to develop the terms and conditions of a royal commission into aged care. 

Elder Rights Advocacy chief executive Michael Gourlay said many callers to the service complained of a need for better access to specialist dementia care.

“In recent times, across regional Victoria including Ballarat, we have seen a marked increase in calls to our service with people complaining about care planning issues and quality of care,” he said. 

“A common complaint to our service is that staff in aged care facilities don’t have enough time to spend with residents, that staff are constantly rushed off their feet and under pressure.

“When staff in aged care facilities don’t have the time they need to spend with residents, it affects the quality of care in many ways, including individual care planning for each resident.”

There is an estimated 436,366 Australians currently living with dementia, according to Dementia Australia statistics. 

Without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase to almost 600,000 by 2028 and more than one million by 2058, statistics reveal. 

Ballarat dementia advocate Anne Tudor said most people were entering residential aged care with higher needs than ever before. 

“The issue of most concern is the ratio of staff to residents. There are fewer and fewer qualified or trained staff looking after more and more residents who need more help in so many different ways,” she said. 

“If you haven’t got the staff there, then they are not going to spend the time they need to spend on, for example, feeding a person with dementia.

“Someone with dementia eats their food very slowly and they can't feed themselves. If a staff members has to feed a number of people, often what happens is the meal doesn’t get eaten and the meal is thrown out.”

Ms Tudor, whose partner Edie has dementia, also said inadequate training of staff and lack of interaction with residents was another issue that should be addressed during the royal commission. 

“Lots of people living in residential care don’t have any visitors at all. They rely entirely on staff for their socialisation and for emotional support,” she said.

“Because staff are so busy they don’t have time to meet emotional needs of a person living in residential care.”

Edie has just moved into a new residential aged care home in Ballarat – one that Ms Tudor is confident has an appropriate number of staff who are adequately trained, but also have personalities suited to the job. 

It is anticipated the royal commission will cover the quality of aged care and providing care for people with dementia and disabilities living in residential aged care. 

You can have your say on what you think the aged care royal commission should look at. 

Public submissions on the terms of reference close on September 25.

The Health Department has set up a website to hear from everyday Australians about their experiences.

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