Mayo TD demands laws to guarantee safe care of older people after shock exposé

A Mayo TD has called on the government to introduce Adult Safeguarding Legislation in the wake of the shocking RTÉ Prime Time investigation which exposed alarming levels of neglect in some Irish nursing homes

Deputy Conway-Walsh said: “The sheer lack of compassion and respect shown to the residents in the programme was appalling, I can only imagine their pain and that of their families.

"The exposé has led to serious questions about oversight and the government’s reliance on for-profit models of care, which inherently prioritise money over people.

“These shocking levels of neglect are the logical outworking of the commodification of care.”

"Until we have adult safeguarding legislation then some of the most vulnerable and deserving human beings in our state are at risk of coercion, neglect and harm.”

The Sinn Féin TD went on to praise front line staff in the sector.

She stated: “I want to commend the small family and community run nursing homes, many of whom I know in Mayo, who provide excellent care in a compassionate and appropriate way for elderly people.

"Most staff are kind and diligent, they rarely make the decisions that lead to a lack of the most basic things required for human dignity – pads, blankets, being taken to the toilet,

“Pay and conditions for this sector must be reviewed to ensure success in recruitment and retention. Zero hours contracts and minimum wages are not conducive to the intense care that needs to be provided.

"Sinn Féin’s alternative budget last year allocated funding for 1,200 new public and community care beds.

“If the government showed the same determination to legislating for adult safeguarding as they do to the removal of the triple lock then we would be doing the state some service.”