WITH nursing homes around the region in lockdown, residents and families are desperately seeking help.

There is some hope on the horizon with the Australian Defence Force stepping in to help ease the crisis.

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At the request of Emergency Management Australia, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is providing military planners as well as augmentation and ADF-only quick reaction teams to support aged care facilities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These support teams will feature a number of roles including team leaders, registered and enrolled nurses, and supporting personnel.

The placement of personnel will be made in consultation with the Department of Health.

However the support still does not address the staff to resident ratios in aged care facilities nor other issues raised in the Royal Commission.

Nor does it address the issue of the aged care sector being locked down as Australia opens up.

Families of residents are calling for a change in policy in relation to locking down nursing homes.

A Sydney based daughter of a Port Stephens nursing home resident told News Of The Area, “My mother has been in hospital or nursing homes for the past three months.

“During that time I have had one controlled visit in the hospital, where I drove for four to five hours for a short visit and could not bring my husband in with me.

“Since moving into the nursing home, she was in lockdown from 10-24 December.

“We drove from Sydney to see Mum on 23 December, and waited until after lunch time on December 24, but she was not allowed out until late on 24 December, after I had to leave to be home for 25 December.

“I promised Mum I would see her in January instead.”

However her mother had not received her Covid-19 booster shot, so she arranged to see her ten days after her scheduled appointment on 17 January.

It was extremely concerning to the family that she did not have adequate Covid protection while the state continued to open up.

“By January 17, the nursing home was experiencing a slow-burn COVID outbreak.

“Mum was locked back into her room, not allowed out under any circumstance.

“She has now been locked in her room for at least six weeks, and is still not allowed out.

“I feel that it is entirely possible that elderly people could spend the rest of their lives locked into their rooms for the majority of the time because of current policies.

“As the decision has been made to allow Covid to rip through society, that must include elderly people who are part of society.

“They must be boosted as early as possible and as often as needed, but then they must be allowed to take part in life and in society.

“This is not an ideal solution, as ideally the exposure would not have been manufactured to its current level.

“However, it has now been done.

“There are surely ethical questions around locking old people into their rooms and denying them contact with their families and friends,”she said.

It is understood that the family will finally be reunited this week.

By Marian SAMPSON