News
28 October, 2025
Aged care residents raise alarm over food and staffing
THE Federal Government has launched an investigation into a Toogoolawah aged care home, following numerous allegations, including claims an elderly woman went unshowered for three days and residents were served meals of bread and party pies.
Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann, met with 120 Toogoolawah locals on Friday, October 24, at the Alkira Aged Care Facility to discuss extensive concerns about the standard of care.
According to Mr Neumann, numerous Alkira residents and family had reached out to his office with complaints about the facility’s standard of care following the change of ownership on July 1, 2025 to non-profit Respect.
Allegations include:
Poor nutrition and food quality for residents, with complaints about unappetising meals, lack of variety, and inadequate nutrition and no alternatives for dietary or medical requirements.
Staffing issues, including high staff turnover, inadequate staffing levels, poor treatment of workers, and disparities in pay.
Poor communication and management, especially after the takeover by Respect, leading to complaints about how residents, families, and staff are informed and engaged.
Mr Neumann said it was shocking for both the elderly clients and their families, who had faced ongoing issues at Alkira.
“I’m extremely upset with the services,” he said.
“One family told me their parent was served a couple slices of white bread with butter, as the kitchen had apparently run out of food for the night.
“Other residents report their only food options are packet soups, toast or party pies for the evening.
“People have been complaining to me about the kind of food, the variety of food, the lack of choice, and the fact they’re not getting appetising meals, which is critical to maintaining good health and quality of life.”
Mr Neumann wrote to Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae, on October 1, requesting the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission take action.
In response to questions from The Sentinel, the Commission stated that it undertook an unannounced audit on October 15 and 16 ahead of a final report on its findings.
“The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is aware of concerns about the care and services being delivered at Respect Toogoolawah Alkira,” Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Operations, Mr Gary Rake, said.
“If the Commission finds a provider not meeting their obligations, we take action to hold them to account.
“This can include requiring the provider to complete very specific actions to address its non-compliance or, in cases of severe ongoing and wilful non-compliance, stopping the provider from delivering government subsidised care.”
Mr Neumann said he understood the issues were exacerbated by a lack of staff, with reports the kitchen staff lost over one hundred hours per week, leaving a single staff member rostered on to cook, wash up and clean the kitchen.
“Residents and their families have reported that meals are not provided when staff cannot attend work. It is left to personal care staff to prepare meals in this instance, taking them away from their primary duties,” Mr Neumann wrote to the Minister.
“Respect needs to be a verb, not just a noun,” he told The Sentinel.
Respect CEO Jason Binder acknowledged there had been issues after taking over operations on July 1 of this year.
“At the time issues occurred, (we) had not yet fully implemented our own food service model, which receives excellent feedback across our 38 other aged care homes,” Mr Binder said.
“Unfortunately, during the implementation of our food model at Alkira, the entire catering team left, which temporarily impacted food quality.
“We immediately activated an emergency response, bringing in chefs and catering staff from other Respect homes to support the site.
“While this ensured residents continued to receive meals, we acknowledge that during a short interim period, food quality did not meet our usual standards.
“These issues have since been resolved, and meal quality has returned to the high standard expected across all Respect homes.”
According to Mr Binder, a temporary General Manager commenced at Alkira on October 22, and a new permanent General Manager will begin on November 17, with a new Chef Supervisor having also been appointed and commenced on October 27.
A resident’s experience
David Klaehn, whose mother was recently a resident until she passed away on September 29, described observing a dramatic decline in the standard of care.
He was so concerned he started photographing some of the meals, including a dish of bread and butter and alleged raw vegetables that his mother could not safely eat.
“When my mum first went to Alkira in June, everything was really good: the food, the care, everything,” he said.
“Then things changed around August. One day, I found her saying, ‘I haven’t had a shower for three days.’”
According to Mr Klaehn, his mother, Florence, told him she was also not getting the food she needed for her diabetes.
Other observations made by Mr Klaehn included his mum being served just a cup of soup for lunch or sometimes going several days without breakfast or receiving it only at 10am.
Mr Klaehn also said he questioned if there were enough staff.
“One day I came to visit and she looked so ill I thought she was going to die on the spot. Her face was completely sagged in,” he said.
“I said to the unit manager, ‘Can you get my mum out of here, please. She’s not well.’ And he said, ‘I was just waiting on the doctor to be here later in the week.’
“And I said, ‘No, move my mother now, get her out of here. You got one hour to get her to hospital.’”
In response, a Respect spokesperson stated:
“Every resident receives personal care and support in accordance with their individual care plan, which includes regular hygiene routines and any required clinical or dietary needs.
“We are currently recruiting for catering staff, Registered Nurses and a Clinical Coordinator.
“The site is being supported by Respect resources while this occurs.
“Rostering is maintained in line with the mandatory staff ratios set out by the Federal Government, consistent with safe staffing practices for the level of care provided.
“Regarding clinical escalation, staff are trained to monitor residents closely and refer promptly for medical review when needed.
“Our expectation and policy is that any resident requiring hospital care is transferred without delay.”
Promising change
Mr Binder and Chief Operating Officer, Brett Menzies, will personally be attending Alkira on Friday, October 31 to directly hear from staff and residents and re-assure them about the care and standards at the site.
Mr Binder said he was “not aware of any day where residents were not served nutritious meals, and this would certainly never occur under our food services, which are now implemented.”
Mr Binder added Respect was not invited to attend, nor formally notified of, the meeting held with Mr Neumann, residents, and families last week.
Council’s response
Somerset Mayor, Jason Wendt, and Deputy Mayor, Helen Brieschke, both attended last week’s meeting to show support for the residents.
“As council, we need to support them to try and find solutions,” Cr Wendt said.
“Alkira was really driven by the community and fundraised by the community when it opened.
“That’s why the community feels like they need to have a voice, because they feel like it’s their own.”
Cr Brieschke, who worked at Alkira when it first opened in 1989, said the amount of complaints being received is enough to overcome doubt of problems happening.
“I’m really thankful for Shayne stepping into this. He’s given the right advice, and people have put complaints into the right places,” she said.
Anyone with concerns about Toogoolawah Alkira should contact the Commission on 1800 951 822.
