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Horror at Nursing Home Abuse
Limerick Post
United Kingdom
June 7, 2005
People in Limerick are "scared to death" over the treatment of their loved ones in nursing homes after watching scenes of bullying, substandard hygiene and a general lack of medical care in a Dublin nursing home on this week's Prime Time.
The RTE documentary revealed distressing scenes, filmed by a hidden camera, of elderly residents at Lees Cross Nursing Home in Swords, County Dublin.
Concerns have now been raised over the conditions at the 41 nursing homes registered with the Mid Western Health Service Executive.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Labour Deputy Jan O'Sullivan said that the former Mid Western Health Board had carried out a pilot project in November 2003 to investigate elder abuse in the region. According to this report 98 cases were brought to the attention of the now Health Service Executive and 79 were acted upon.
Confirming cases of substandard care in some Limerick nursing homes, one relative told the Limerick Post that she "constantly witnessed elderly residents being restrained, abused, excessively drugged to give the staff an easier life and generally not treated with the dignity they deserve".
Explaining that it was "heart-breaking" to see her relative in these conditions, the woman advised Limerick people to constantly visit their elderly relatives, unannounced, to check up on them.
"The staff are not qualified or properly trained because the managers want to go cheap and make as much money as possible from elderly institutions. They are also constantly short of staff. I've seen many cases of residents being given warm beakers to hold when they haven't the strength to hold it. And then they are left in their wet tops for hours on end. I have also witnessed residents falling on the wet tiles in bathrooms and not being found for hours. They are always being left wet and uncomfortable and there is just no-one trustworthy there to reassure them and tell them that everything is okay," said the woman who didn't want to be named in case her relative may be "punished" as a result.
The woman, who was very emotional talking to the Limerick Post, has had first hand experience of a number of nursing homes in both Limerick and Clare. And she said that she was "delighted" that the Prime Time program highlighted the issue. "I'm just glad this is all out in the open now."
The minister for state at the Department of Health and Children, Tim O'Malley said however, that the program was based "only on one nursing home".
Assuring the public that there is "no cause for concern here in Limerick", he said that his experience of nursing homes in Limerick has shown them to be "very good and very well run".
"I was appalled by the documentary and we have to be thankful to Prime Time for exposing the substandard level of care at the nursing home. People all over the country are really perturbed over this. And it was a very graphic program, especially when the bedsores were shown. It really does call into question the running of these nursing homes and the supervision and regulations. But the HSE is looking into all that now," he said.
He said that if people are concerned they should contact the HSE and make a complaint. Alternatively they should get onto their local politician, he said, because "any substandard care is simply not acceptable".
"They are paying enough money for nursing home care, and they are entitled to get the service that they paid for," he said.
Both deputies Jan O'Sullivan and Peter Power have called for an independent inspectorate to be introduced as a matter of urgency, who will visit private and public nursing homes without prior notice.
There are currently no statutory requirements for inspections of the State's 500 public nursing homes, which care for over 10,000 people. Furthermore, there is not sufficient staff to regularly inspect all private nursing homes at least twice yearly which is required under the Nursing Home Act 1990. Deputy O'Sullivan added: "I feel strongly about the fact that nursing homes should not be told in advance when inspectors are making their visits. I think it was apparent from the Prime Time program that they were tipped off and only then cleaned up their act. Proper random inspections are fundamental to keep the standards high," she said.
Another man who contacted the Limerick Post said that his family minded his mother who had Alzheimer's at home because "I was horrified by what I saw at these homes".
"I remember going to visit my 85-year-old aunt in a County Limerick nursing home and she had ire all over herself as her pad was constantly soaking wet. She kept scratching herself as there is acid in the urine and she was not being washed and wiped properly. Another thing is that the elderly people are all dosed heavily to keep them docile. This is someone that you love and you expect the staff to care for them and love them as well. But that just doesn't happen. I would never send my mother to a nursing home, not even respite, after what I saw," he said.
The man also said that the family and the residents themselves are afraid of complaining because of the repercussions.
"The residents were often bullied into taking medication, from what I saw. And you could constantly see elderly residents walking along the corridors with soiled incontinence nappies around their ankles or semi-nude. There is also the worry over whether they are being properly fed and hydrated," said the man.
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