‘Let the eye of vigilance never be closed’

MY father spent his last 15 months in a nursing home in Tralee. At the time I was working in the town, which meant I was able to call on him on a daily basis. Dad was fortunate in that it was a great place. We also knew some of the staff, which of course made a difference.

It was a great experience. My father was 95 when he died in 2004 and neither he nor I ever found fault with the nursing home. On the very few occasions I made enquiries or had questions they were dealt with immediately and always to our satisfaction.

The Fair Deal scheme was introduced in 2009. It is operated by the HSE. It provides financial support to those who need long-term nursing home care. The HSE carries out a financial assessment of a person’s income and assets to work out what a person’s contribution will be and then the HSE pays the balance. Included in the contributions the person pays are 80 per cent of her/his State Pension.

This year it is expected the scheme will support an average of 23,042 people. The HSE budget for the Fair Deal scheme this year is €985.8 million.

I recently called to a nursing home elsewhere in the country and was somewhat surprised with what I saw. I called to visit an elderly person. She is not in the nursing home itself, but has her own independent living and joins other residents for her main meal.

I knocked at her door in the early afternoon but there was no answer. I checked if the door was open and to my surprise I discovered it was.

I gently pushed it, called the person’s name, no reply. I stuck my head around the door. Therewasnoonethere. On leaving the nursing home I checked in at reception andtoldthemmystory.

I was told that the person I was visiting was living in one of the independent units and that the nursing home was not responsible for whether the door was open or not. I appreciate that everyone has a right to be unwise but in my opinion elderly people need extra care, even if living independently.

I have had great experiences in nursing homes but surely that does not prevent me from raising a yellow or red flag when I see or experience a practice or custom that would cause me concern.

Had that been my father I was visiting I would not have been happy.

And certainly would have expressed my views to the management.

A wise word from Thomas Jefferson: ‘Let the eye of vigilance never be closed’.