inhumanity in nursing homes in Ireland

 Who is to blame?

 

Recovering my equilibrium following last Tuesday’ RTE investigates’ programme has been difficult. RTE showed two nursing homes, where abuse, neglect degrading and humiliating treatment seemed to be the norm was heartbreaking.

One nurse knew it was bad, said she would “not put her mother or father here”.  Did she do anything about it? Another nurse said, “if we do this, we will be creating bed sores”. She knew harm would result. It was deliberate harm, a known consequence of a behaviour. Nurses are mandated to report abuse.  Disciplinary action should be taken if they did not report it.

More and more revelations are published, a cleaner who resigned tells of call bells being disconnected at night and staff going to sleep on another floor. A psychiatrist writes about the increasing demand for psychotropic drugs to keep patient’s ‘calm’. Which generally means “so we can have an easier time’. ‘The chemical cosh’ – to knock out ‘difficult’ patients.

Why have psychiatrists and geriatricians not advanced on the Government in droves before now? Were they complicit? Supporters of cruel and degrading regimes? Why do nurses, HCA’s (health care assistants) doctors, not say; “enough is enough”. Front line staff have a duty of care. We all do, from cleaner to psychiatrists. Accountability is key. Heads should roll.

Is it Irish culture to treat people so badly? Old people, disabled people, sick people. Maybe it is. You have only to read some of the reports; Ryan, McClean/Kilcornan, Kennedy, Brandon, McCoy, Leas Cross, McIlroy, Farrelly, to realise perhaps violence, degradation, and poor and inadequate care, then secrecy, was/is part of Irish culture! The culture of the HSE, practitioners and workers. What else accounts for ongoing vulnerable people being abused, degraded, humiliated?

It has become so normalised…and acceptable. They can not see abuse, degradation, harm. Or at least they didn’t see it enough to take action.

When HIQA can say ‘non-compliant’ or ‘repeat non-compliance’, without consequences there is no safety.

In the Emeis Homes one staff nurse, the whistleblower, saw and acted.

This has all happened before. Let’s refresh our memories about ‘Emily’, raped by a carer multiple times, in another nursing home (2020). Marcella Leonard, a top social work specialist, with a safeguarding team, was brought in to review the files, of other residents to see if there could possibly be further victims. What happened?

The team sent an interim report to the HSE in April 2021, to give it "a very clear message" that the review was uncovering "systemic evidence" that Emily was not the only victim”.  Yet her teams work was shut down.  

" What does it say about an organisation (HSE) rather than providing that team with more support to continue to find the evidence, they shut them down” (Leanard).  No one asked or answered “why?”

In 2023 safeguarding expert Jackie McIlroy was brought in.

The Irish Association of social workers (IASW) 2023, said the (McIIroy) report vindicated the work of the safeguarding social work team in the Emily case. They added; Adults at risk of abuse are paying the price for poor oversight of safeguarding at both local and national level in the HSE," the group said.

This is a stunning observation, but I know it to be true. Poor oversight of safeguarding is not an observation of professional good practice. It is a standard of shame. It leaves vulnerable disabled older people at risk. The leaders, the managers, are not up to scratch. They are failing. They are not fit for the job.

Then quite shockingly, IASW said in 2023, it welcomes HSE chief Bernard Gloster's "genuine commitment to reviewing safeguarding structures"…was there really a genuine commitment to review safeguarding structures in 2023 following the McIlroy report? Where are these reviews? Where is the new legislation? Where are the new structures? Where is the evidence?

I still await a reply to my own letter to Bernard Gloster. It’s urgent, has been urgent for several years, but I cannot penetrate the HSE answerphone system and they never phone back.  All you get is; “I am sorry I am not available. Please leave a message and I’ll call you as soon as I can”. They don’t.

It is my very sad belief, that elder older people and disabled people are not considered full citizens in Ireland. We are expendable. Nothing becomes urgent. There is no urgent in our care. They wait for us to die. Quality of life has an end point – age 65.

Are we going to sit back and allow that? When does abuse humiliation and harm to older people, older disabled people become urgent?

 

The HSE and HIQA are both responsible for large numbers of vulnerable people being abused in Ireland, both in institutions and the community. Do we now say both organizations are not fit for purpose?

This is a Teabag!

 This is a Tea Bag!

Dr Margaret Kennedy

 

Watching RTE investigates last night, 4^th June, on the care practises in two nursing homes was the equivalent of watching and being in the midst of a nightmare, a horrifying spectre in front of my eyes. It was like some monster with powerful tentacles reaching, through the screen to grab me. Pulling me into such a place – to hell. Most days I see that hell. And I fight not to enter it. I have written my letters, to no good effect.

The only way we can now reach the politicians who have power to change, is via the visual impact of an undercover programme. Telling them verbally or writing to them seems to cut no ice.

As an older woman aged 72 with a rare neuromuscular disease, a full-time wheelchair user, incontinent and needing care in my home, clinging on to staying at home, none of what the programme showed surprises me. We saw the ‘known’. We know. HIQA knows. The abuse and neglect, the lack of care. lack of staff, lack of training… it’s all known, It’s not a secret.

From my vantage point, age 72, older disabled or ill citizens are abandoned in Ireland. We are being warehoused. ‘Living’ is not discussed. Where did we see life, enjoyment, community in those places?

I have been in three nursing homes for respite care. In one nursing home I lasted 12 hours overnight, in another nursing home - four days, and in a third, a newly built, 100 beds, I lasted 24 hours. I could not stomach the humiliation, disrespect. degradation and the annihilation of who I was. It was excoriating, mentally, physically and emotionally. I have a PhD and yet, a care worker saw fit to tell me what a tea bag was. At that point, enough was enough. Out.

There is less and less community support, help from the HSE.  When I could not fill some gaps in my care rota, I told the elder care team manager, his response “I hope this message finds you well. Unfortunately, I do not have carers available to assist you, this area does not have a statutory home support agency, so we neither have carers available or employed to redirect to you”.

 No help from the HSE is common.

I met Bernard Gloster in March 2024, the HSE CEO for an hour. He made promises. A part time social worker would be employed to sort out my needs. He was kind, listened. Then he sent me an official letter with the agreements made. I felt very hopeful and very happy. So, what did happen? Over a year later - nothing.

Two new part-time social workers have been in post for about six months, now working with other people... but not for me. Not allocated. No reason given. I have written to Bernard Gloster; he has not replied. A year later, the HSE despite Bernard Gloster’s Directive/promise, ignored his letter.

A nursing home will probably be my next step, because there are few carers in the community. More and more nursing homes are being built, I will not be going there. I have made that clear.

A nursing home in Mayo was inspected by HIQA and was found to be non-compliant. It has 69 residents needing nursing care, convalescence, respite, dementia and palliative care. HIQA found overly restrictive practises. There was an over reliance on the use of television to entertain. Many residents were seated in a row in front of the television for long periods, with little engagement or stimulation provided. Residents who spent the majority of their day in their bedrooms were not observed to have any social interaction or access to meaningful activity other than television or radio on the day of inspection. More than ten emergency bells were missing from the resident’s bedrooms. A repeat finding. Water and tea were left too far from reach. I cannot say more. It is too distressing. Are we not human?

I have read many HIQA reports, nearly all report similar findings. The inspections are done, but do conditions improve? When will we call being seated in a row in front of a television all day, emotional and psychological abuse?  When will we say the residents are not safe? When will we call this abuse? Nothing changes. We are warehousing, we do not care for our elderly people. Sitting in front of a television is not quality of living.

We should be inspecting for ‘quality of life’, not just feeding and cleaning, not just dressing and washing. ‘Quality of life’ is about living. Feeling part of the community, being stimulated, having enjoyable things to do. Feeling useful. We should have a meaningful lifestyle even at 80 and 90 years old.

 “I’m not dead yet”, my life should be useful and fulfilling. I will not be warehoused. I will never be warehoused.

All survivors are sisters and brothers.

On friday I took myself off to Bray Co wicklow, Ireland. Or rather my PA (personal assistant) took me to Bray. It was tough, I'm no longer able to walk, use awheelchair 100% of the time, rarely feel well, in alot of pain. Getting into a car wasmightily difficult. but much pushing and shoving, clinging on, heaving, yoiking -  sort of corkscrewed into a front seat of my PA's car from my wheelchair. She handed me a bunch of flowers we'd picked from the garden. I had both purple and green ribbon and I tied them all together. They looked wild and beautiful. on arriving at our destination my PA asks "what do you want to do?"  "get out" I replied, the whole seafront was awash with children and adults - for the fun fair - those frightening machines were throwing people in the air and came plunging down with stomach churning regularity. They whirled round and round with obligatory music and flashing lights. Screams and laughter fillled the air. 

We went the wrong end of Bray seafront, my mistake, and Gardai knew well our destination. On arrival I saw an empty large house. Weather worn, with driveway appalling in brokeness and in need of TLC. The whole house needed TLC. 

The PA got out to get my wheelchair out of the boot of the car, as battered as the house, it was all I had. far too small and I hung on for dear life as I reversed corkscrewed OUT of the front seat into it. The road was pitted with a draincover painfully in my pathway. No proper wheelchair camber to get onto path, and I'm a heavy woman now, I clutched my bunch of garden flowers, a card attached. I chose a spot to tuck them behind a chain wrapped around the gate pillar. Then I wept. 

I was upset - very upset. I was at Sinead O'Conner's former home. She'd lived here for 9 years, but no longer. it was sold and will be turned into flats. Not that the people of Bray want that. I wrote (as requested) an Obituary of Sinead for a Christian Site. I wrote from my heart, how I understood her. We survivors do. How I understood the escape from painful pasts, trying desperately to live in a confusing, frightening world. Clinging to roles, making them up, experimenting because you simply don't know where you 'fit'. Your memories, experiences are so counter the norm, you feel you don't belong. You have done things you dont want to talk about, been ridiculed, abused, even raped for just being vulnerable, yes, we never really become NOT vulnerable! 

I did understand Sinead as all survivors of abuse did/do. We owe her a great - debt. 

my obituary

   https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.premierchristianity.com%2Fobituaries%2Fsinead-oconner-1966-2023-a-wanderer-priest-and-prophet%2F16031.article%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1XzoaRcHdnkiYgazeC19L8nKZxYctzdlu_3q8jVP8xoZQnPe01sDUWkNU&h=AT1phkZHxIg8pnRQQkNet_qrZQUru8WSRhrmr661dR4JhvonAvS00Bmxm-UKMD0ZBE-OWPqYMSmug2zkiIjh4O8Z-5_UN5xVdhIHs95axfjZIAUicVrY6ajZjAAPeXDEAw&__tn__=%2CmH-R&c[0]=AT1Of3Zqb_YZ9eyQIiaJ0AH3hfP6YV4S9O2bNpqUKd4LJVetny6R34PZoYxSqpEB2XikMaD_98TDToaw2SupYdtuLi065DOf8EvFxy7t8qcesf2w3hPbzXRCIS-5qSsXcekjrHn4pF7RABS8GjYmoISK4ImCFC-z29rzgnM_KdmcvqMUu_c

We are Sinead's sisters and brothers. and all is now clear;  

a) she made a real impact 

b) people did hear her message 

c) there is an awful lot of hurt people in the world who now openly cry....for our sister. 

d) she was a 'Wanderer. Priest and Prophet'

e) We are going to miss you Sinead

 Sisters and Brothers, we will not be defeated.

 Sisters and Brothers, we do not walk alone

 Sisters and Brothers we will not let shame or guilt consume us

Sisters and Brothers, we will share the pain and the journey - together.

Our friendship,

    our solidarity,

        our anger

           our fight for justice,

             our liberation is in truth-telling,

                 our calling to account,

                    our protesting

                      our remembering

                        our proclaiming

                               The Truth…

 

Survivor: We were never meant to survive

 All:        We were meant to be silen

 Survivor:     We were imprinted with fear

        all:         We are no longer afraid

 Survivor:    we were not supposed to talk

           All:         We will no longer be silent

Survivor : We were meant to keep it a secret

          All:   But now we are talking

 Survivor : We were not supposed to be angry

 All:   but now we are raging

 Survivor :  We were not allowed to cry

   All:      Now we are weeping

 Survivor : We were unloved and forgotten

 All:  We are forgotten still

Survivor :  We are hurt by our Churches/family

 All:  We call for repentance

 Survivor :  We are not supposed to challenge

 All:     We protest and seek justice

 Survivor :  We were supposed to be silent

  All:       Never again….

 Survivors together :  We will remember and proclaim

 All:                               we will remember and proclaim

For you Sinead - all our Love - Sing loudly with the angels and your son

                                        SING

Older Disabled people in Ireland

I've past the from my 60's into my 70's, now aged 70 I'm definitely catorgorised as 'elderly'. I failed to represent myself as a disabled person. I've been moved from disability services to elder care services and the move dropped me down a well shaft I cannot get out of. 

An elder care physiotherapist offered to ' bring me a sheet of exercises to do' - which effectiely means I don't get physiotherapy. I am a full time wheelchair user, incontinant and depressed, sheets with wee diagrams of how to raise arms and legs and stuff is not what I need. 

The elder care OT was ultra energetic and told me she'd get my office into shape for accessibility and wheelchair use. and declared as she left the house "next week operation office". She beamed me up and I was so grateful, relieved and happy...only 'next week operation office' never happened. She came and declared "have you anyone to help you tidy up?"  This is NOT quite the same as a skilled disability specialist making your office accessible. I plummeted down mega stages in depression. 

I refused to see either again. I know crap when I see it!

The geriatrician came to assess me (third one to do so) and declared she didnt know why she was doing the assessment, neither did I, I had undergone two assessments in Tallagh Hospital by an eminant Geriatrician...who made recommendations - never acted upon. This is par for the course. 

I asked for her report, I never got one, never saw her again, GONE -God knows what she wrote down. When I ask her to come back I'm tld I'm outside her catchment area...HUH? I wasn't when she came, now I am. Its enough to drive you insane. 

Now they tell me they want me to see another Geriatrician (the fourth) miles away. 

and so it goes on. 

I'm in elder care - hey - that means 'die for gods sake - die!'

political representation of disabled people in Ireland - tokenism

 I am inviting disabled individuals, organizations, friends and relatives of disabled people to allow me put your signature on this letter I wish to send to the media and political representatives. I write it after Thursdays committee failure to represent us. say 'yes' to allow me include your signature and send message to my email: magsken57@gmail.com I will need your 'yes' TODAY. or at least by 10am tomorrow Monday 20th September.

Dear Sir/Madam,

The 2016 Census tells us that 643,131 people in Ireland had a disability. That is 13.5 per cent, or 1 in 7 of the population in Ireland has a disability. I certainly suspect this is an underestimation and has increased since then.

We have ‘representing’ us within the Oireachtas, ‘The Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters’ . This committee was due to sit last Thursday and only four elected politicians turned up. Holly Cairns (SD), Violet-Anne Wynne (SF), Pauline Tully (SF) and Sean Canney (Ind). No senators turned up, so the meeting could not take place. Looking at past attendance records; one TD only attended 1 out of 18 such meetings. In other words we disabled people are NOT being politically represented. We seem of no interest or value to elected politicians.

Disabled people in Ireland deserve better than mere tokenism. In 2018 Ireland ratified the UN convention on Rights for Disabled People (UNCRDP); this gave disabled people Human Rights. Ireland was the last European country to ratify, and yet our Irish political representatives failed to ratify the Optional Protocol (OP) that allows us take Human Rights infringements to the UN. Ratification was indeed, a political fudge on our Human Rights – tokenism.

Disabled people are poorly served at every level of society; from the cradle to the grave we are playing ‘catch-up’ to fellow non-disabled citizens. We struggle to have our disabled children educated at highly skilled levels, to enable teenagers plan for university, jobs, and roles within society, to enable adults to be employed (often passed over due to discrimination), to enter professions, public life, political life. We have nearly 2,000 young people in nursing homes because the care and housing sector is pitiful for young, more severely impaired persons needing care.

Aids, adaptations, equipment – even provision of wheelchairs are at Dickensian levels of standards and provision. We must languish without wheelchairs for months if they ‘break down’.

Independent living is NOT supported. Certainly not supported for older disabled people who want to stay in their own homes, surrounded by their life’s endeavours; pets, family, books, collections…old disabled people must move – automatically – from the disability HSE oversight to HSE elder care, whether they want to or not!

As for transport, we cannot access many train stations due to lift breakdowns, non- serviced stations, and inaccessible stations and demands for pre-notification to travel. Rural transport or disabled people is virtually non-existent. Both the mobility allowance and transport allowance were taken away and never re-instated, as promised.

Covid hit the disabled and elderly disabled persons particularly hard as there was no framework to support us. Carers were not given PPE, nor immediately vaccinated. We had to cut back on carers to keep ourselves safe and alive.

We the undersigned have ‘had enough’.

We now demand;

• A quota system to facilitate the election of disabled persons into the Dail.

• Ratification of the Optional Protocol immediately.

• A political shift from the charity model of support to a social model framework that facilitates, independent living, human rights and equality of citizenship rights afforded non-disabled people.

• Increase in all social welfare, pensions, medical care, primary care budgets for disabled people, to cover cradle to grave needs and a life worth living.

• A radically improved budget for such things as wheelchairs, aids and equipment, home adaptations and living supports.

• More public housing that is specifically designed for disability access and disabled persons.

We will no longer accept the ‘begging bowl’, ‘tin-rattling’, position in society; we are NOT accepting the position of ‘bottom rung’ on the Irish citizen ladder.

Last Thursday’s Oireachtas ‘Committee on Disability’ meeting just exemplifies our status. Politicians treated us with contempt. We did not matter.

We are citizens of Ireland, not second class citizens and we proclaim that position loudly. .

Yours Sincerely,

Where is our Platform?

Every day disabled people must fight to stay alive - to have a voice - to have meaningful lives.

We know oppression from the day we were born. First in the ableist mentality that we are 'mistakes' of nature, punishments from God, abnormal, to perennially, either made NORMAL (operations, education, therapy etc) or put on the charity list for services! Being not a 'normal' citizen we must rely on the generosity of the 'normals'. Nothing is had as a citizen.

Ah the poor dears - lets set up a charity to 'look after them'. Thing is folk many of those charities we have no control or power within. Run by possibly well-meaning people, but usually run like businesses where the consumer is not consulted and CEO's and minions wages swallow up the funds raised by the general population - the box rattlers - collectors of money.

Growing up art, riding a horse, swimming were all THERAPIES whilst our 'normal' peers just went swimming or horse-riding for God's sake. But we are DIFFERENT so when we do what 'normal' people do it must be labeled differently.  and if we argue the toss, boy do we get hammered by those 'normal/neuro-typical s. They don't do criticism well and bloody hell we ought to be grateful!

then at the end of our lives as 'oldies' past 65 (I'm 67) our disabilities, or abnormal body becomes miraculously 'normal'. No longer disabled, services , such that they were, are removed...we shift from disability to elder 'care' and get nothing - much. For now our 'state' is normal....we are old, no longer disabled so all policies for disabled people and rights...need not apply. Our state now is 'waiting to die', why else did all the older folk, by definition - disabled, die of covid 19 in nursing homes. Ah well that was 'normal' for THEM!

You couldn't make this up you know. The evolution of Disability oppression is worth study. It begins and ends with deep disrespect for our bodies.

Black and Ethnic minority groups know this. Racism is based on 'body' - the colour of!
Its simple yet truly awful. White is 'normal' , black definitely not.

So we 'abnormals'; who do not fit the White/'able-bodied' (how I hate that word) stereotype = NORMAL - we are to be oppressed, kept in our place. And our place is to have no power, no control, no say.

For us disabled/ill/old our battle is often with doctors - who decide whether or not to 'accept' what we say or declare what comes out of our mouth 'abnormal' too!  Doctors have not championed our cause, far from it.

Next battles involve HSE professionals who rather than putting into place a platform of equality they perpetuate inequality and misery, From not supplying PA's to not supplying wheelchairs, aids and adaptations etc because you are judged not 'abnormal' enough!

So who decides HOW disabled we are? - them! Take all medical/community assessments - THEY decide the criteria, rule out certain features, diseases, difficulties to shorten the list of provisions needed.  That's how it works. Always.

As for Politicians - don't get me going!  They see our misery and look the other way. There's not been a Minister for health that champions our health RIGHTS. As for FMcG...so long as he's praised to the hilt that's all that really matters. Ego above Oppression.

 So, do you detect cynicism, a slight irritability, a degree of anger - you bet you do.

I'm sick to very death of not being allowed to live.

We need OUR platform. our riots, our protest, our rage, our time to say 'enough is enough' Disabled lives matter

A Leader in the Park

After months of 'lockdown' we are all champing on the bit, rearing to go, go go...Covid 19 has us all exhausted. Some more than others. Grief is all around - for those that died, for everything really. We are in shock, disbelief, horror at the savage onslaught of Covid 19.

So...what of the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) having a semi-naked picnic in Phoenix park? doesn't he deserve a break? Is he not human to?

Yes & Yes BUT....BUT...there's a but!

Is it right?  What do I think? 

As someone who is age 67 with a neuro-muscular disease, in a wheelchair I've had to endure total lockdown. No carers near me for fear of covid.  No hospital or GP appointments, indeed no medical care whatsoever!

I am alone  trying to live without catching Covid. I've taken strict precautions. STRICT. I don't go out. I see no-one. 

and I see my 'leader' gamboling with his mates, shirt off, Garda in attendance, Leo having a laugh in the park....

This is a punch below my belt so it is!  Its an insult to us plebs!  when the elderly are let die in nursing homes all around the country. We disabled , sick, elderly were not considered. At all. When Covid began I asked for PPE for my carer's - refused. REFUSED. so I cancelled my carer's. how could I let them in with no PPE? How do I cope? badly. in pain...suffering...

I'm still seeking medical care but no-one is listening. I don't count in the covid era,but hey- our Taoiseach is OK .  He can go romp in the park and forget us cocooners, elderly, alone, sick, disabled, frightened...he can enjoy...

I see him with utter contempt...this is NOT Leadership...this is insulting every older, sick, disabled cocooner.

Yes Leo, you slapped us in the face! It is NOT befitting a Taoiseach.