An inquiry into the care of elderly people in private nursing homes was sought by delegates at the annual conference of the Irish Nurses' Organisation yesterday.
The conference heard complaints of non-nursing staff in nursing homes being dressed in nurses' uniforms and of people being left with nothing to do all day.
The conference also called for the appointment of an ombudsman for the elderly to investigate ageism and abuse of the old.
Ms Kate Walsh of the Castlebar branch said all elderly people should be confident of getting a service regardless of means.
Nursing homes might be suitable for able-bodied people but not for patients requiring therapy. Neither physiotherapy nor occupational therapy was available, she said.
There was anxiety among people in nursing homes that as their level of dependency increased, the fees would also increase and that their money would eventually run out.
In some nursing homes, "nonnursing staff wear nurses' uniforms," she said. "This gives the impression that there are more qualified staff than is the case. We as nurses must take ownership of our uniforms."
Another delegate complained that a relative in a nursing home "sits all day looking out the window. There is no occupational therapy, no physiotherapy and no stimulation of any kind".
Abuse of elderly people includes physical, sexual and financial abuse, the conference was told. "They are not protected by legislation the way children are," Ms Joan McDermot, of the INO's elderly section, said.
Ms Mary Henry, a public health nurse in Monaghan, said she had "quite often come across elder abuse, physical, emotional, financial and sexual".
The conference also called on health boards not to charge elderly people in long-stay institution for their first 30 days. Ms Carmel Lynch, Carlow branch, said that while people were entitled to their first 30 days without being charged, some health boards count any period in an acute hospital in the previous 12 months as part of the 30 days. This was an abuse of their statutory rights, she said.
Pay increases of up to 29 per cent are being sought by the INO under the benchmarking process, the conference was told.
However, the INO's director of industrial relations, Mr Dave Hughes, said there were fears that the benchmarking process might not be the independent exercise it was meant to be.
This was because the Minister for Education had already told teachers that their demands would be met under benchmarking.
Mr Liam Doran, general secretary of the INO, complained that after what Dr Woods had said to the teachers, the Government was indicating its support for the claim of one group of public servants while many other groups of public servants were going into the benchmarking process.