Sir, – Our Constitution places “the family” front and centre but this commitment has yet to make its way into healthcare policies and practices for older people resident in nursing homes. Yet the horrific abuse of Emily and other older women clearly underlines both the vulnerability of our loved ones as well as their dependence upon strangers while living their lives in institutional care.
Current nursing home practices totally disregard the significance of familial support, care, advocacy and love from family and relatives and friends.
Covid provided very clear evidence of this practice. Families and friends were required to relinquish their roles as loving carers in these settings.
This embedded norm in nursing homes completely undervalues an important resource – the eyes and ears and voice of relatives and friends who visit the home regularly.
Faye O’Rourke’s Christmas: ‘I have a reputation for overdoing it. I splash out. It’s not in my control’
Inheritance tax is a real bugbear for people who do not have children
‘I know what happened in that room’: the full story of the Conor McGregor case
Sally Rooney: When are we going to have the courage to stop the climate crisis?
The introduction of restricted visiting hours in many nursing homes (mirroring those in hospital settings) post-Covid is a seriously worrying development.
It gives any potential abusers additional access without worrying about a visitor dropping in at random times. It also erodes further the perception of “home”.
In my view, it is beyond time that the role assigned to the relative and family and friends of residents in nursing homes completely transforms. We only have to look across the water to Scotland, where relatives are actively involved and engaged in inspecting nursing homes and where the Scottish Care Inspectorate (the equivalent of HIQA) actively encourage relative feedback. – Yours, etc,
GABRIELLA HANRAHAN,
Quin,
Co Clare.