Poor experience of nursing homes

Sir — I have to respond to your article on nursing homes (Sunday Independent, February 12). I have personal experience of private nursing homes, as my mother had to become a resident of one. She stayed a few months in one, before I moved her to another nearer to where I live.

My experience of both was negative. When my mother was a resident for some months, a carer fell on my mother. I was not informed by the home — my mother is mentally alert and told me. They had her leg covered by a dressing. After a few days, I demanded to see the wound and I knew it was infected. I rang the doctor, who attended the home and learnt that he did not know about it. She was then put on antibiotics but, as it was 10 days since it happened, she had to go to hospital and be put on a drip.

The second serious incident my mother alleged to me was that a carer deliberately cut her leg, which was covered by a dressing. My mother still has her sense and said to me: “Why does that carer hate me?” She stopped eating, got very ill and again ended up in hospital, but due to the great care, made a good recovery.

My mother told the hospital doctor about her experience and said: “I don’t want to go back.” The hospital doctor referred her for a place in a public nursing home, where the care and respect she receives from all the staff is lovely — plus, it is spotlessly clean. I now know, and so does my mother, what a nursing home should be.

I dread to think that all nursing homes will become private, because from my experience, they were cold, impersonal, money-making businesses, which expected staff to work long hours for little money.

Minister Harris, please consider more HSE-run nursing homes, as older people deserve at least as much as other sections of the community.

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