Irish Rural Link calls for ‘urgent reform' in safeguarding older people
It follows an RTÉ Investigates programme this week which exposed serious safeguarding failures in two private nursing homes, and which IRL said were 'disturbing and deeply upsetting revelations'.
IRL said it supports the call from Safeguarding Ireland, which was set up to promote the safeguarding of adults who may be vulnerable.
Safeguarding Ireland has called for the implementation of the framework, which was published by the Law Reform Commission in April 2024, as well as for the establishment of a national safeguarding authority.
IRL said the programme that aired this week 'brought to light, once again, the urgent need to review how older people are treated and how nursing-home care is delivered in Ireland'.
'Irish Rural Link has long held the belief that nursing home care should be a last resort. Instead, people should be supported to age and live independently in their own homes,' the organisation said.
However, the slow rollout of the Statutory Home Care Scheme and the 'severe lack' of adequate funding continue to hinder progress in providing the necessary supports to enable people to remain in their homes, the IRL claimed.
The organisation said that community-based health and social care initiatives are essential in helping older people age at home with dignity.
The IRL called for such initiatives to receive greater recognition and investment as part of a 'broader continuum of care'.
Seamus Boland, the CEO of IRL, said: 'While we recognise there will always be a role for nursing homes, we believe people should have the right to remain living in their own home for as long as they feel safe and are able to do so and be provided with supports, such as home care and community services.
'It is time for a serious, nationwide conversation about how we deliver care in this country. Our older people deserve, and must be guaranteed, the right to grow old with respect and dignity,' Boland added.
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