Updated February 2022 Jean Kittson’s latest role is caring for her parents in the challenging, frustrating time of COVID-19. My interview with Jean appears in this week’s editions of Mosman Daily, North Shore Times and The Daily Telegraph. Like so many of us today, Jean – well-known Australian commentator, actor, … Read more
The “Aged Care and Covid-19 – a special report”, prepared by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety makes fascinating reading. Released on September 30, it highlights the human cost imposed when elderly people are separated from their loved ones in the name of disease control and the … Read more
The challenges continue for those of us grappling with Covid-19 restrictions and the impacts for the elderly in aged care. This has become a very personal dilemma for me. My 96-year-old father has developed a sense of being imprisoned and I must say his distress over this has caused my … Read more
The Covid-19 crisis had its biggest consequences for these two most important rituals, the wedding and the funeral. “During the service I never pose people or use flash photography. Discrete candid photography allows me to capture the sombre mode of family embracing, children deep in thought, and friends crofting the … Read more
We’re linking you through to a news report from California which reveals frustration and anger over the way nursing homes were managed there through the Covid-19 crisis. In its June 28 report “As Coronavirus raged through nursing homes, inspectors found nothing wrong”, The Los Angeles Times claims the main problem … Read more
For those who’ve followed Sydney’s Newmarch House Covid-19 infections, last night’s ABC Four Corners made for compelling viewing. At Newmarch House over a period of 39 days, 34 staff and 37 residents became infected with Covid 19. There were 19 deaths of residents. When we researched Newmarch House intensively for … Read more
Earlier this month, the NSW Coroner’s Court announced it will investigate the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 at Newmarch House aged care facility in Sydney’s outer western suburbs, where 19 residents died from the virus. This is good to hear. We’ll have an objective analysis, with scrupulous attention to detail, a … Read more
Work has gone online – even, surprisingly, in the healthcare space. We’ve discovered more about what’s effective and what isn’t as lawyers, school teachers and sales people have developed new online practices. However, at times this can feel like two steps forward, one step back. Some Sydney lawyers report that … Read more
The USA has just passed a sombre milestone – 100,000 deaths from Covid-19. So what does this outcome show us about the intersection between health and politics? In a reflection which is echoed in reportage and analysis by many from all over America, CNN’s Stephen Collinson says: “A Columbia University … Read more
So what sort of end of life decisions might need to be made if you suffering from Covid-19? Like advance care planning with other diseases, you are stepping through a series of “If, then”s. Here’s information from the UK’s Royal College of Physicians about what happens in Covid-19 critical care. … Read more
We’ve found a good, practical, user-friendly resource that can help you with advance care planning if you become ill with Covid-19. The following message comes from, the US, one of the busiest countries dealing with Covid-19. Thank you very much to Colorado Care Planning at https://coloradocareplanning.org/ who helped us track … Read more
As Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an ‘early mark’ for Australians on social distancing restrictions from Saturday 2 May, 2020, because of our success in controlling Covid-19, the spotlight stays on the continuing sources of outbreaks – including aged care facilities. Scrutiny will ensure we don’t have a sudden … Read more
Over the weekend Ann Fahey, 76, a resident who twice before had tested negative to it, died of Covid-19. She was the fourteenth person to die at Newmarch House, where by Sunday night, 23 residents and 26 staff had tested positive to the virus. On Sunday, Jodi McKay Leader of … Read more
Here’s some good news. Getting sick with COVID-19 isn’t necessarily a death sentence – even if you’re old. Norman Swan in his coronavirus update on March 23 finished his report by saying that 85 per cent of old people who get COVID-19 will survive. That’s something for the elderly to … Read more
I like strange as a word. It is non-judgmental, it says this is different, unfamiliar, something new to be navigated. However, we need to put a few things on the table: actively putting strategies in place to retain the rights and manage the needs of the dying, the suffering and … Read more