Auckland rest home accused of neglecting elderly man

A Pukekohe rest home is investigating claims of elder abuse. Image / Google Maps

An independent inquiry is underway into allegations of elder abuse and neglect at an Auckland rest home.

The probe stems from a caller to a radio station who claimed there were serious issues at Palms Lifecare.

She said her father was moved into the rest home and during his time there she and her brother witnessed several instances of neglect.

She told the radio station there were faeces around his room, maggots in his foot and that he was only given paracetamol for pain relief.

Heritage Lifecare, the parent company of Palms Lifecare, had launched an independent inquiry into the complaint.

Heritage Lifecare executive chairman David Renwick said complaints of mistreatment of a resident at Heritage Lifecare's Pukekohe rest home, Palms Lifecare, were being independently investigated.

"We have arranged to meet the complainant tomorrow [today] so that we can get a better understanding of the complaint," he said.

"In the meantime, we are taking the complaint seriously and we have initiated two separate investigations."

"We are carrying out our own investigation but we consider it is important that we also get an independent view," Renwick said.

"To achieve that we have already instituted an independent investigation being led by a clinical nurse specialist at Counties Manukau District Health Board working with our own national quality and compliance manager.

"Until we have met the family involved and carried out the investigation, we can't comment on the circumstances or any action we may take.

"However, we are committed to providing quality care to all residents in our rest homes and we will take appropriate action if it is established that the standard of care provided has not met the standards we set."

Heritage Lifecare cares for 1275 residents in 17 rest homes around New Zealand.