RSS
News


Home Page > News > 1,760 claims of elderly abuse made in Ireland are investigated

1,760 claims of elderly abuse made in Ireland are investigated

Abuse and neglect of the elderly becoming a ‘growing concern’ in Ireland

By
CATHY HAYES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Saturday, June 11, 2011, 9:59 AM
Updated Saturday, June 11, 2011, 9:59 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article 8 Comments
 

Elder abuse is a "growing concern" in Ireland.


Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) is investigating the 1,760 cases of elder abuse, with 477 of these reported in 2011. As there is no dedicated elder abuse officer in the southern region of Ireland the authority believe this figure is likely to be higher.

In the Executive’s annual elder abuse report, to be published next week, they will reveal that there were 2,046 referrals in 2010, which was up from 1,870 in 2009. It will show that neglect and financial abuse claims have risen by 14 percent and nine percent respectively.

This week in Ireland a high profile case, with relation to the takeover of the Rostreavor nursing home, in South Dublin, has grabbed media attention. The home’s owners have failed to overturn the court’s decision that the HSE should take control.

READ MORE:
Elderly man brings his life savings to hospital

Seniors are not safe over the GOP's Medicare plan

Irish Dog Therapy helps turn a light on in patients, elderly and those with intellectual disabilities

--------------

Justice Matthew Deery, Circuit Court President said that as of now it is being run by the HSE. The Executive has powers to make decisions concerning the welfare of its residents.

Minister of State for Older people, Kathleen Lynch said the situation highlighted the need for whistleblower legislation. She said the legislation is currently “in the drafting office." It will cover care units as well as homes.

The HSE’s expert group, the National Elder Abuse Steering Committee, said the issue of elder abuse is an area of “growing concern” in Ireland. They also believe the number of cases which are being reported is relatively small in comparison to the number that may actually be occurring, as elder abuse remains a social taboo.

Last year, a comprehensive report, carried out by the National Centre for the Protection of Older People (NCPOP) found that 10,000 elderly people in Ireland were being neglected in their own homes. Professor Pearl Treacy, program director of the NCPOP, told the Irish Examiner that researchers are  completing a similar report in the nursing home sector.

​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


8 Comments

See all comments

sham1977 | Jun 13, 2011, 04:54 PM EDT
Sad to see that it is happening in Ireland too - it's a major problem in the states. Unfortunately, when you pay people a minimum wage, overwork them (meaning that there is not enough staff to care for the amount of people there)and generally foster a crap work environmment, you are going to have a less than pleasant outcome! The same is somewhat true for childcare. There is too low of an emphasis on the importance of care (and therefore higher pay) for these the most vulnerable members of society. They should be cherished and instead they are the most victimized.

Report abuse

mamaginnty | Jun 12, 2011, 08:26 PM EDT
Eejit, calling someone else a racist, use that big mouth of yours to clean up where you live, maybe clean that mouth while your at it...

Report abuse

Pittsburghkid | Jun 12, 2011, 12:45 PM EDT
This is a product of faminism. I grew up in the sanity of the 50's. Mothers took care of the Children, husbands, elderly. Now we have Daycare, Adult Day Care, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, and divorce to do the job of the mother. The family unit is dying, instead everyone is a number to the state. When my mother was in a Nursing Home, I visited everyday. The attendents knew me by name. I never had a problem, because my mother to them was not a number. The staff loved at her as the mother of a Construction Worker instead of a number.

Report abuse

GeorgeDillon | Jun 12, 2011, 01:47 AM EDT
"in a group home in England". Hey sirpeter, hasn't anyone told you that England is not Ireland? We realize you and your Fianna Fail vermin friends have no sense of Irish nationality, but how's about a little geography at least? What a racist numbskull you are. Why don't you post with your English friends on the racist English National Front site?

Report abuse

sirpeter | Jun 11, 2011, 05:13 PM EDT
I recently watched a doc on carers who were suppose to be minding retarded teenager's in a group home in England and it was horrifying.They were torturing the retarded teenager's.They were not immigrants either Georgie Langball.

Report abuse

mamaginnty | Jun 11, 2011, 04:32 PM EDT
Tis a terrible thing, and most are of the same nationality as the old people they are suposed to be caring for, but horrible stories have emerged from America as well as U.K Shame on them all.

Report abuse

GeorgeDillon | Jun 11, 2011, 03:33 PM EDT
I agree that this is more shame for Ireland. Edlerly Irish men and women, who have contributed so much to their country, are now in the main "cared for" (what a sick joke) by filipinos, Africans and Indians. How sad in the closing years of your life to be uprooted from your home and consigned to a residence where the people who have daily control over you are minimum wage immigrants from the Third World. Many of these people are good people, and do their best given their limited education, but there is a huge cultural and linguistic gap between them and those they attend. And unfortunately many of these migrant "carers" (sic) are not good people. The guy accused of beating up old people in the latest Irish scandal is an Indian ethnic from the island of Mauritius. What the hell are the worthless Irish doing, importing cheap labor from all over the world to tend for their own Irish aged and sick? Shame on them indeed.

Report abuse

LoyalCitizen | Jun 11, 2011, 10:07 AM EDT
More shame for Ireland. We clearly need a court system that works.

Report abuse

 


IrishCentral logo
"Like" IrishCentral
IrishCentral Mobile QR code


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail