Thread by @abc730

There are currently 41 infections of residents and workers at 17 #agedcare facilities around the country - figures which may explain why so many nursing homes have gone into total lockdown. #abc730 @anneconnollyabc #coronavirusaus

But there are calls for exemptions for families who give basic care to relatives with dementia who they say will suffer because overworked staff won’t have time to give them necessary one-on-one care. #abc730 #coronavirus #agedcare

Anne McMenamin’s 97-year-old father has dementia. “We know that the home is understaffed and that our time that we put in, two hours every day feeding, is essential for Dad's well-being.” #abc730 #coronavirus #agedcare

Anne and her sister can no longer visit their father because his aged care facility has gone into total lockdown due to #coronavirus. #abc730 #agedcare

Provider Eldercare says the lockdown is necessary for residents’ safety and that staff are working extra hours to feed residents. #abc730 #coronavirus #agedcare

“The danger is the possibility that people will resort to extraordinary levels of chemical and physical restraint, that the residents won't get the care that they need.” Prof Joe Ibrahim @MonashUni. #abc730 #coronavirus

All families worry about the threat of #COVID19 but some fear the lockdown just as much. “I have a worry that there may be more deaths as a result of these restrictions than they would have been from the virus itself.” Anne McMenamin. #abc730 #coronavirus #agedcare