Our mums and dads deserve dignity, well trained and caring staff in their nursing home. Royal Freemasons decision to cut staff will leave them more alone, neglected and without proper care. They will have more falls, get more bedsores and infections, less showers, and little stimulation with fewer activities. They will wait and wait and wait for a response to their call bell.

These cuts will even affect their basic care, with cuts to cleaning and laundry services. How can you cut cleaning during a pandemic? Is this for real? The Aged Care Royal Commission has had thousands of submissions about better staff ratios. Not one submission has been about LESS staff. 

All residents families are appalled that Freemasons are cutting staff during COVID-19. This is  behind our backs with no family consultation. And all at a time when we can't visit and help. The Nursing Home is part of our extended family and we have been treated like we're not part of theirs.

One family said, "having a mum with dementia is sad and distressing enough without the worry of less care. I often change her dirty clothes, wash faeces off the bathroom floor, and clean her dentures because staff are already too busy." Another said "I sometimes find my mum's pills under the chair, as they dont wait long enough for her to swallow them. It's not good enough."

"My dad is nearly always dehydrated when I visit. He needs more care not less. Staff have to have more hands-on time. Why on earth are they cutting staff? It needs to get better not worse."

One family who visited for hours and hours a week (pre-covid) said "if they go ahead with these cuts, history will repeat itself. Freemasons failed their accreditation last time they had this level of staff."

Some families are fearful of speaking out. They think there will be repercussions on their loved one. That's not right!!

These cuts need to be reversed immediately at both Bendigo sites. We don't want to lose some of the dedicated, kind and creative staff who actually know our loved ones. Freemasons must also commit to monthly, open meetings with families to share information about the key standards they have to meet. Otherwise it's a recipe for disaster. 

Thank you for reading and please sign our petition. Remember - it could be you one day!