Packwood Rest Home following allegations of declining care and service.

Government's Chief Medical Officer John Cann confirmed yesterday that he had ordered a team to conduct the probe.

It follows a request from Lady Jackie Swan, who chairs the Somerset home's board of directors, Lady Swan made the call after receiving a letter of complaint from a relative of one of the residents.

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's gerontologist, Government's nutritionist, a Government health visitor, a coordinator, district nurse and environmental health officer will each visit the home and prepare reports.

"We are using a model that we had developed to assess and work on upgrading any and all nursing homes on the Island,'' Dr. Cann told The Royal Gazette .

Packwood Home faces inquiry "We are trying to develop a team to assess and map out improvements that can be made. It's a new approach for us.'' Barabara Bascome Clemons, who now lives in Dayton, Ohio, is the daughter of Packwood Home resident Elsie Bascome and claimed that the home's "overall atmosphere, including the quality of care and meals being served, has deteriorated''.

Mrs. Clemons visited her mother last summer and when she returned to Ohio wrote a letter to Lady Swan detailing her concerns. In her letter Mrs. Clemons alleged that her 96-year-old mother was being ignored by the new management and that this had caused her to become "distressed''. She charged that the new management had also resulted in a number of staff resigning "because they refused to jeopardise their credibility by adhering to the (new) practices'' and that this had caused "a revolving-door set of employees'' who have "proved very unsettling for the elderly and anyone else needing care''.

She questioned Lady Swan as to the strict definition of the home and alleged that people wanting to volunteer were discouraged from doing so.

"Is it a hospital ward, a nursing home or the elder care facility that its residents expect?,'' she asked.

"Volunteers, including trained nurses, have offered their services to Packwood, but they are discouraged, rather than encouraged to work as support persons in the home.'' Mrs. Clemons also complained that residents wee given nutritionally unbalanced meals with no menu choices and questioned why their pre-breakfast hot drink and bedtime snack had been eliminated. She also queried if a night duty nurse had been retained and whether a physical therapist was available on a weekly basis.

Lady Swan confirmed that she had received the letter and said she spoke with both management and some residents afterward.

She pointed out that the residents she spoke with were unable to tell her what dissatisfaction they had with their meals and how they would like them changed. She noted too that budgetary constraints ruled out choices in the menu.

But Lady Swan also said she almost immediately asked Dr. Cann to conduct a complete investigation into the allegations and that she personally took Government gerontologist Khin Myint to the home and introduced him around.

Packwood Home administrator Julia Tucker labelled the letter "malicious and untrue'' and insisted it was full of "totally wrong information''.

"We have nothing to hide here at all,'' she said, "and it is very discouraging when you are working so hard and doing your best, to have people that don't appreciate it at all.'' Mrs. Tucker said pre-breakfast and bedtime snacks had not been eliminated and she refuted accusations that volunteers were discouraged.

"Volunteers are actually handled by our activities co-ordinator, but we welcome everyone who wants to help and try to match them with areas that interest them,'' she said.

Admitting that the home did not have a physical therapist, Mrs. Tucker noted that none of the elder care facilities on the Island offer that service.

But she was quick to note that she did have access to the Government physical therapist who, at her request, came to the home to work one-on-one with any resident who required it, and also trained her staff.

Pointing out that Packwood Home was technically a nursing home, Mrs. Tucker noted that a night duty nurse was not mandatory.

"And it is not necessary in my view either,'' she added, "we have trained geriatric aides on duty around the clock and a nurse is on call 24 hours a day.

"We were looking at the possibility that we might need one because our residents are getting older, but it was decided that we really don't. A night duty nurse would work through the night, but our residents are asleep at that time and there are aides on duty who can call in help if it is required.''