Abidas Frail Care Centre is forced to close its doors after the Gauteng Social Development received allegations of poor treatment of pensioners at the centre and the disagreeable work conditions.
The department looked into the allegations and discovered that the beneficiaries are being physically abused and live in ailing conditions; and that the staff does not have qualifications and skills.
Abidas Frail Care Centre accommodates the elderly who are frail, semi frail, and independent.
The facility claims to be registered as an NPO, and has been operating for more than 10 years.
However, the Gauteng department has no records of its existence .
The facility does not have occupational health and safety (OHS) compliance certificates: Health Permit, Food Acceptability Certificate.
The department also mentioned that the care is not a proper functioning centre as it does not have an approved menu to address the dietary needs of the beneficiaries.
Based on the department’s investigations, the rights and safety of older persons are not protected; the safety and care of the pensioners at the centre are compromised.
“It has been established that the beneficiaries live in exceptionally disagreeable conditions. The facility is overcrowded with limited ventilation, and this includes the kitchen.”
“Other essential norms and standards required for the running of such a facility are not met such as an incident register, abuse register, complaints register, restraint register, admission register, visitors register, and pass-outs register and there is no appropriate sanitation,” Social development wrote.
“What’s disturbing is that the caregivers are untrained general workers with no qualifications or any training as caregivers, the manager also has no qualifications and is untrained and there are no clear job descriptions for any of the staff” they wrote in the statement.
Earlier this month, a pensioner suffered at the hands of staff. It was alleged the frail pensioner was starved for days at a time, burnt, beaten and neglected.
She was also inhumanely deprived of her medication for at least 18 months
The Gauteng dseparmtent has called for the immediate closure of the residential care facility recommended; and the pensioners will be moved to alternative registered facilities.
Compiled by Lethabo Malatsi. Additional information by Marizka Coetzer
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