Who checks up on the lonely pensioners?

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Thu, 01 Sep 2011 7:00p.m.

Mr Clarke was a bit of a loner. But 14 months?

Mr Clarke was a bit of a loner. But 14 months?

When John Campbell was beginning his journalism career more than two decades ago at Radio New Zealand in Wellington, he covered the death of a pensioner in a Wellington City Council flat. A death that had gone unnoticed for a tragically long time.

There was a great deal of tut-tutting and lots of noises about caring for the elderly, and ensuring it never happened again.

Today came the news a man named Michael Clarke, so forgotten by the world that he'd been dead for 14 months without anyone noticing, has been found in the flats of the same landlord - the Wellington City Council.

Mr Clarke was a bit of a loner. But 14 months?

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Comments

02 Sep 2011 09:32a.m.

taz wrote:

This is truly a very sad, sad story indeed! I mean, this is exactly what I'm talking about, when I say that we as people care more for, and about, a penguin, and ALL it's hollistical progress. All the way down to progressing its every single movement, back to its natural inhabitant, but we fail as a people to track and make any notice what so ever, of our particular, elderly next door neighbours. It happens everywhere. It's not as if Wellington is immune to this. Its just truly tragic curcimstances that eventuated to this very outcome. My immediate next door neighbnours would'nt be able to help BUT! see if there was anything astray in my house. If I wasn't around for "X" amount of time. And it is true. We all really need to be able to be on the look out and alert for all of our community, but especially the weak, defenceless and vunerable, in our immediate neighbourhood. IE: those elderly folk, who live all alone, and have no-one there for them. They have a right to live as they choose and please. In Retirement homes, in Councill Flats, Boarding, just as anyone else,but for Michael Clarke to go undiscovered DEAD in his flat, for so long, is beyond belief, really!

01 Sep 2011 10:33p.m.

jimmy a wrote:

Sadly John , this is not the first time for Newtown Park Flats complex, I know of several other cases where the old and frail have died alone and gone unnoticed for a time . About 15 years ago I too found an elderly man who had been deceased and lay on his bedsit floor for around 2 months also at Newtown Park Flats, it was a very unpleasant site to behold , but I often wonder just how much longer he would have laid there if I hadn't be so nosey. It may have even been the same story that you mention you covered earlier in your career, but I too remember W.C.C talking up a storm saying how they would ensure to check on everyone who rents their flats on a regular basis and make even more of an effort with the elderly tenants to try and stop unnoticed deaths happening . Sadly W.C.C need to re-evaluate their procedures surrounding elderly or high health risk tenants,because 14 months unnoticed and dead in your flat ??? words fail me beyond this point !!! Wellington City Council what are your complex managers and staff up to during work hours cos clearly its not working !