The Health News – 28 July 2016

Overview:
• The prediction has come after the ABC's 7.30 program earlier this week aired footage of a carer at an Adelaide nursing home appearing to try and suffocate an 89-year- old man in his bed. Senator Xenophon said families should have the right to have security cameras in the rooms of relatives in aged care to protect them against abuse.

• Australian patients with rare genetic conditions now have access to world-class technology to get a more accurate diagnosis. Australia is the only place in the world apart from the United States to offer the test, where a patient’s entire genome can be sequenced at once.

• The Federal Government committed $9 million to Western Desert Dialysis (WDD), known as Purple House, in the middle of last year for clinics to be established in central Australia. The Ernabella community had been calling for a permanent renal dialysis unit for 15 years, keen to avoid patients having to go to Port Augusta or Alice Springs for treatment.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the  28th of July 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/aged-care-cuts-elder-abuse-need-senate-inquiry-probe-xenophon/7663650

Proposed funding cuts to the aged care sector will almost certainly lead to an increase in reports of elder abuse, senator Nick Xenophon has warned.

The prediction has come after the ABC’s 7.30 program earlier this week aired footage of a carer at an Adelaide nursing home appearing to try and suffocate an 89-year-old man in his bed.

The bed-ridden man had end-stage dementia and was unable to walk or talk.

The vision was secretly filmed by the victim’s daughter who had suspicions he was being abused.

The worker, Corey Lucas, was convicted of aggravated assault.

Senator Xenophon said families should have the right to have security cameras in the rooms of relatives in aged care to protect them against abuse.

He said the fact the daughter was threatened with potential legal action over the installation of the cameras proved the inadequacy of current laws.

He said there needed to be a Senate inquiry to investigate the issue of elder abuse and the impact federal funding cuts will have on the quality of care.

“There must be an urgent Senate inquiry into the whole issue of aged care funding instruments and also the whole issue of elder abuse because it seems that there aren’t adequate legal protections in place.”

Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Rae Lamb said allegations of abuse against residents of aged care made up a very small percentage of complaints filed each year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/australian-patients-to-get-access-to-breakthrough-genetic-tests/7663672

Australian patients with rare genetic conditions now have access to world-class technology to get a more accurate diagnosis.

The technology has been used for scientific research at Sydney’s Garvan Institute but is now going to be available outside the laboratory.

Australia is the only place in the world apart from the United States to offer the test, where a patient’s entire genome can be sequenced at once.

Garvan Institute’s executive director, Professor John Mattick, said it marked a turning point in diagnosis and health care.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians are born with genetic conditions, but many conditions are so rare, they can be extremely difficult to diagnose.

The whole genome test is still done with a simple blood test but it is the speed and the scope of the test which makes it so unique.

But Professor Mattick stressed the test would not be available [for]… everyone.

Patients seeking a diagnosis would be referred to a clinical genetic service and get a blood test.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/apy-lands-dialysis-announcement/7662260

A renal dialysis centre planned for Ernabella in the remote APY Lands now has a South Australian Government commitment, a year after $1.7 million of federal funding was pledged.

The Federal Government committed $9 million to Western Desert Dialysis (WDD), known as Purple House, in the middle of last year for clinics to be established in central Australia.

That included $1.7 million for renal dialysis at Ernabella, but the Alice Springs-based …[centre] said it would need the SA Government to meet the costs of delivering the treatment.

…chief executive Sarah Brown said she was ecstatic SA had now made a commitment but wished it had come sooner.

The Ernabella community had been calling for a permanent renal dialysis unit for 15 years, keen to avoid patients having to go to Port Augusta or Alice Springs for treatment.