Editorial: Vital to focus on elderly

The Ministry of Health launched a new website yesterday where you can view information on rest homes. Photo/Thinkstock.

I'll never forget the day I was driving to town and saw an elderly woman on the side of the road clutching a sign post and shaking.

She had wandered off from her rest home and was lost and confused. She was at least three blocks from her "home" and crossed at least two busy roads.

I pulled over and went to see if she was okay. She wasn't.

She was able to tell me which rest home she lived at and I took her back.

The rest home's response was one of relative concern. When we walked in the front door, they said "not again", indicating the woman suffered from dementia and was known for this kind of thing.

I couldn't help but notice the staff seemed lovely, but busy.

Later, I tracked down the woman's daughter and let her know what happened, not to "nark" on the rest home as I believed they were suitably concerned, but to ensure the family were informed.

The level of care offered in rest homes has been in the spotlight this week. Rest home operators say they are simply not funded to provide more than a "minimum level of care".

That's a bit scary, especially considering I hear it's not cheap to stay in a rest home.

The Ministry of Health launched a new website yesterday that now makes it easier to access information on rest homes, including audit reports. Rankings are given in specific areas and comments are made if the standard of care isn't up to scratch.

This is a welcome addition and will hopefully give families who are unable to care for their elderly family members more peace of mind.