‘They are old, not dispensable!’ Studio 10 row ignites between Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Joe Hildebrand as they debate visitations at aged care homes
A heated row between Studio Ten’s Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Joe Hildebrand erupted on Tuesday, when the pair discussed the prospect of visitation rules at aged care homes being relaxed as Australia continues to flatten the coronavirus curve.
On Monday, some homes rejected calls by the Australian Government to relax the rules, and Kerri-Anne and Joe debated the issue.
Joe claimed the suggestion of wearing ‘full PPE [personal protective equipment] gear’ or ‘hazmat suits’ to visit elderly people was ‘ridiculous’.
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‘They are old, not dispensable!’ A row between Studio Ten’s Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Joe Hildebrand erupted on Tuesday, when the pair discussed the prospect of visitation rules at aged care homes being relaxed as Australia continues to flatten the coronavirus curve
‘We need to have a really serious, mature and honest conversation about how we keep people alive, and what we are keeping them alive for,’ he added.
Kerri-Anne immediately interjected, saying: ‘they may be old, but they’re not dispensable and deserve attention!’
‘It’s cruel and inhuman to neglect people who are stuck in one room 24/7, without having their love and support from family and friends,’ she added.
She went on to suggest that aged care homes make visitors wear protective equipment during brief visits, rather than banning visitors completely.
‘The most important thing is their quality of life… it’s the job of providers to make those people as comfortable as possible’: Joe told Kerri-Anne to ‘hold off’ from her angered and emotional reaction to his spiel as he claimed he was trying to agree with her statements
Joe told Kerri-Anne to ‘hold off’ from her angered and emotional reaction to his spiel as he was trying to agree with her statements.
‘I’m trying to agree with you, just hold off… you’re arguing with yourself!’ he exclaimed.
‘I’m saying the nursing homes are protecting their elderly resident by keeping them (visitors) out… but the idea of protecting someone by keeping them isolated and locked up for the last few weeks or months of their life is frankly ridiculous,’ he added.
‘When you are dealing with people that late in life, the most important thing is their quality of life… it’s the job of providers to make those people as comfortable as possible.’
Playing devil’s advocate: Sarah Harris (pictured) said it was good some nursing homes were ‘thinking outside the square’ by encouraging Zoom calls and ‘window visits’ in place of physical contact visitations
Sarah Harris played devil’s advocate, noting that half of all COVID-19 deaths in Europe had occurred in nursing homes, while in Western Sydney there was a cluster of six elderly aged care home residents dying after a nurse unknowingly passed on the virus.
She went on to say some nursing homes were ‘thinking outside the square’ by encouraging Zoom calls and visitors to sit outside a resident’s window.
However, both Joe and Kerri-Anne protested, claiming it was ridiculous and not a suitable alternative for real, loving contact.
‘There is no point living a life where you are locked in a room and isolated and not see anyone,’ Jo said.
Studio 10 airs weekdays from 8:30am on Channel 10