Elderly homes in Australia under fire after high COVID-19 deaths

Melbourne, Australia – Neville Vaughan was the “life of the party” at the aged care home, where he lived in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. He loved to sing and dance. In February, he even joined the festivities celebrating the 18th birthday of his granddaughter, Rebecca. But despite being remembered as a very socialble person, Vaughan died alone after contracting the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, at the nursing home. Suffering from dementia, the 80-year-old had a hard time comprehending why his family had to socially distance from him, including his wife of 61 years, Margaret. “My grandmother said that they would have to sit on separate sides of the room, but he would try to come up and hug her,” Rebecca told Al Jazeera. “And he would say: ‘Why can’t I hug you or give you a kiss?'” style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">