Regis Port Coogee

The experience my family and I had in attempting to have my Dad admitted to Regis Port Coogee 'memory unit' was nothing short of diabolical. 1.) Admissions Process The admissions process is, at best, opaque and, at worst, deliberately misleading. My mother was given the clear impression that Dad would be able to remain permanently following a two-week respite period. With the encouragement of staff, she took steps such as moving in furniture - actions that would not be undertaken for a respite stay. At no stage was it made clear that his continued residency was contingent upon clinical assessment and approval. 72hrs prior to the end of the respite agreement, my mum was phoned and abruptly told that Dad would not be able to stay. For someone wracked with the guilt of having put her husband of several decades into care, being told this abruptly over the phone was traumatic and extremely stressful. There were concerns with his behavior, we were told, and the message amounted to ‘we can’t handle him, you’ll need to take him back’. In a follow up meeting which we had to request, it was noted that Dad exhibited a number of behaviours considered problematic: entering other residents’ rooms, undressing, toileting issues, and generally disruptive behaviour. These behaviours are widely recognised as typical of Alzheimer’s and dementia. One would reasonably expect that a dementia-specific memory support unit would be equipped to manage them (if not there, then where?). Far from normalising these behaviors as symptomatic of the disease that has crippled my father for close to a decade, we were made to feel like he was a troublemaker, who "didn't fit with the cohort". In the follow-up meeting it was asserted that the initial respite arrangement is always treated as a trial, despite this never having been mentioned prior. In fact, the admissions team had implied the very opposite, in an effort to get my Mum to sign on the dotted line. The reality, I suspect, is that once my father’s Dementia related behavior was more fully known, Regis deemed caring for him would not be profitable enough. 2.) Standards of Care The Dementia wing staff were unfortunately unable to care for my dad effectively. My Mum was often phone called (please note this is supposedly her “Repite" period) to come and tend to Dad’s ADLs, as the staff were unable to change him or get him in and out of bed. On one occasion he locked himself outside on a balcony and was only discovered by my Mum (the staff rarely seemed to know where he was when we dropped in). Meanwhile, carer staff were witnessed on their mobile phones. The worst incident involved him again being discovered by my Mum having defecated on the floor and with both hot water taps running. I cannot say how long it would have taken the staff to discover him in this condition, as it was only by chance that my Mum found him. The story has a happier ending as Dad is now being cared for in a nearby facility, where his behaviours are normalised as being part of his Dementia, and the immensely patient staff are making gradual process with Dad, with him being given an appropriate amount of time to settle. It is unfortunate that our experience at Regis Port Coogee no doubt caused an irreversible backslide in Dad, and for that reason I urge extreme caution to anyone considering this facility for their loved one with Dementia. In particular, please ask the question 'will my loved one's permanent admission be subject to clinical approval', as this is the key point that was never made clear to us.

I am writing this to caution any family considering Regis Coogee for a loved one with dementia. We approached the home asking for a permanent bed in the specialised memory support unit. We were led to believe that a 2-week respite stay was a required "trial" to secure a permanent bed—a move we were told would give us time to settle our finances. In reality, this "respite" status was used as a loophole to deny our family member basic clinical rights, including access to a comprehensive GP assessment, a continence assessment and plan, or behaviour support. Our experience in our short respite stay was terrible. Our loved one was found alone in his bedroom (he cannot open doors) with hot water left running from the bathroom taps and shower. He was found locked alone on an outdoor balcony and, on another occasion, was pushed over by another resident, no staff saw this exchange. Though a permanent bed was available, management reneged on the original plan. They claimed there was "no evidence" of a permanent offer, despite our email trail discussing room dimensions and bookshelves we had already assembled for his long-term stay. Despite paying for professional care, my 70-year-old mother was called repeatedly to assist. She visited 2–3 times a day to perform basic care—showering him and putting him to bed—because the staff were unable to do so without her. When our loved ones condition inevitably declined with the move into care, management’s solution was not to step up his care, but to issue a discharge notice. We explained that his original place of residence, a 3-story townhouse, was now unsafe due to his decline in condition. The administration staff had deemed him "high-risk" and inappropriate for their specialised memory support centre, but were happy to discharge him to the care of a single 70-year-old carer. We insisted on a safe discharge and asked to extend the paid respite stay until we could find a suitable permanent place elsewhere. At this point they threatened to report us to the state tribunal for "abandonment" and said they would call an ambulance to take him to hospital just to clear the room. The floor staff are lovely, but they are clearly drowning in a system that prioritises bed turnover over human safety. This facility is a "Memory Support Unit" in name only; in practice, it was a dangerous and stressful experience for our family. Our story ended well only because at the eleventh hour, another nursing home offered us a permanent bed, and Regis finally agreed to extend his stay by 48 hours to allow for a safe transfer. Our loved one is now settled in a new home where he is well cared for. While his dementia behaviours are still present, he is being treated with the respect and clinical expertise he deserves—something we never found at Regis Coogee. UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO REGIS Thank you for your response; however, I must clarify that management was absolutely made aware of these concerns at the time. My brother, mother and I outlined these issues in detail during a formal meeting at Regis on Wednesday, 4th March. Michelle was unavailable, and Regan was acting manager in her absence. We sincerely hope that the management team do take the issues we raised both in that meeting and here seriously, so that other vulnerable residents and their families do not have to experience the same lack of safety and support.

Today's Xmas lunch was amazing. Residents and staff joined together to celebrate and it was wonderful. Thankyou so much for looking after our loved one so well

Beautiful space let down by the negligent care. My grandmother who has dementia was left unshowered and in the same underwear for three days. Incredibly frustrating and upsetting experience.

Mum has lived at Regis Port Coogee for over 4 years and says she is very happy there. The care and attention from the nurses, care staff and administration make her feel loved and safe. The home holds many fantastic functions celebrating different events during the year. Mum enjoys participating in many activities but her favourites would be the bus trips, marina walks, bingo and chats over coffee on level 1 Cafe. Mum has recently been joined in the home by her sister in law and they love catching up like they used to in years gone by. A massive thank you to all management and staff.

My mum loves it here. From the care staff to the nurses looking after her. Amazing functions are held to celebrate life and cultural diversity. She enjoys the marina walks, bingo, and bus trips. I've seen a big change in my mum and do not regret that she decided to go into Regis Aged Care. I also have my aunty living here and my mum and she are always catching up for a coffee and a chat. I also recently discovered that my father-in-law's first cousin is also here so the visit is extended. To the amazing management and staff a big thank you for all that you do, the love and support shines through.

My grandmother has lived here for a year now and she is very happy there. Her room is spacious with a nice view and she says the staff are lovely. She is still relatively low care so doesn't require a lot of assistance so we'll see how she is when she starts requiring more care. People have mentioned lack of care and understaffing, however every time I've been in to visit there seems to be plenty of staff, more than we get where I work (also in aged care), but understaffing is something seen across the whole sector due to low wages. A few months ago when I visited Regis they were doing a big recruitment drive so hopefully their staffing levels have increased since then. We love taking my grandmother down to level one, very spacious with a Cafe area to sit, chat and play games, nice balcony to enjoy the view on a nice day, coffee machine and cakes put out each day for when visitors come. They also have a wonderful in-house hair dresser and nail salon, theatre room and small library. My only real criticism is lack of gardens for resident's to enjoy. My grandmother used to love gardening and the only garden area they have is on level 3, which she does not have access to. We do try to take her out in a wheelchair to the beach at times so she can enjoy some time out and watch the great-grandkids swim and play.

If your loved one has a debilitating mental condition and needs nursing care - do not send them here!! The residence is new, with stunning views, lovely carers, supportive lifestyle staff and nice administration team members. Unfortunately they are very much let down by their nursing staff. My Mum started living there in August and the beginning of January she had a fall and after hip surgery was sent back to the home within 4 days post surgery. Although she was in constant and some times considerable pain, the nursing staff simply didn't listen to our pleas for support with pain medication and appeared unwilling to look after Mum in her condition. A week later, Mum was put into palliative care. The frustration and anguish I went through for Mum to get the correct medication and at the appropriate times was horrific. At a time when you need support, you don't need to be dealing with cold hearted, officious nurses. The Agency nurses were quite often more caring, responsive and supportive than several of their permanent nursing staff. Hopefully some changes have occurred as they were restructuring , and have employed a new clinical manager - but please, for the sake of your loved one - if its nursing care you require - speak to some of the current resident's families before signing up.