A nurse who has been practicing her profession for 24 has lost her collar. In a complaint in 2019, she pointed out intolerable conditions in a retirement home in Leysin VD, which at the time belonged to the Fondation Miremont.
An investigation was then launched, the report of which is available in the “SonntagsZeitung”. According to the report, the following misconduct occurred, among others:
Forgot to go to the toilet: The health worker complained that an elderly woman was left in the bathroom in the dark for 50 minutes. According to the complaint, other residents were not allowed to go to the toilet even though they asked – and instead had to put in their pads.
Emergency disabled: At night, the bells were sometimes redirected to cell phones throughout the ward. These were muted because the nurses on the night shift complained about the constant ringing.
Strong drugs: A sedative was administered to a senior who struggled with personal hygiene. The result: he fell almost every day, whereupon a bed rail was installed and the medication delivery increased. When he refused to eat and drink, he died.
Self-service in the pharmacy: Assistant nurses “selected and administered” medication without consulting the specialist staff. They had easy access because the pharmacy was unsecured. According to the investigation, a nursing assistant who had not even been trained by the Red Cross used medicines in the reserve cupboard at night without documenting this.
Too few skilled workers
An investigation by an independent cantonal commission subsequently confirmed serious errors. The final report states “that the dignity of several residents was not respected and that standard measures to ensure the safety of the residents were not in place or were not observed”.
The director of the foundation, which ran the retirement home at the time the allegations were made, denies most of the allegations. The main problem is said to have been a lack of well-trained specialists. A problem that many other retirement homes in Switzerland also have.
1800 ads per year
How often does misconduct occur in nursing homes? The “SonntagsZeitung” obtained data from the Federal Statistical Office. All reports of suspected crimes where the crime scene was reported as “retirement home” or “nursing home” were evaluated. From 2010 to 2020, the average was 1800 per year. So almost five a day. It remains unclear whether the ads were directed against residents, employees or third parties. And how many of them resulted in a guilty verdict.
For Albert Wettstein from the Independent Complaints Office for Old Age, one decisive factor is clear: “Violent situations often arise when carers are under time pressure.” (gf)