Families of residents living in Wyndham’s only psychogeriatric centre fear their loved ones will be forced into hospital psychiatric wards or ill-equipped aged-care homes when the centre closes its doors at the end of the year.
North Western Mental Health, which is part of Melbourne Health, announced last Tuesday that it was closing South Stone Lodge because of the 30-bed centre’s high vacancy rates and unsustainable financial losses.
It said its residents, who suffer from dementia and other mental health conditions, could be properly cared for in mainstream aged-care facilities with support and assistance from community outreach mental health services.
But residents’ families disagree, with many telling Star Weekly they had approached mainstream centres without success.
Williamstown’s Sue Findley said mainstream centres were not interested in caring for her mother because they deemed her to be aggressive.
Ms Findley’s mother has dementia and has lived at South Stone Lodge for close to 17 years after being placed there by a court order.
Since then, she has spent some time in private centres but they were unable to properly care for her.
Ms Findley said her mother needed to stick to a strict routine and required constant supervision because she had a compulsive behavioural disorder.
“In a privately operated facility, if you don’t have the expertise and staffing levels to assist with mum and others with these needs … it will cause mum to spiral out of control and end up in state psychiatric care,” she said.
“It’s frightening to think about what is going to happen to her.”
Seabrook’s Jodie Seiuli is concerned that leaving South Stone Lodge will be too much for her father.
The 59-year-old has been living at the centre for a couple of years because he was too young and required too much care to be looked after in a mainstream aged-care centre.
“I don’t know what is going to happen to my dad. I’m worried it will be too much for him and he will pass sooner than he should,” she said.
“It is too hard for him to go into mainstream care because he needs too much care … I’m worried he will end up in a psychiatric ward.
“He should be able to spend his last days with dignity.”
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the Health and Community Services Union have vowed to fight the closure, saying the decision is short-sighted and does not consider the needs of residents.
North Western Mental Health executive director Ruth Vine said the organisation would help residents transition into alternative accommodation of their choice and help staff find new jobs.
