Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Care of the Elderly.

Mr. Ring

This is not the first time I have raised this issue. The Minister set up the working group to investigate abuse of the elderly last April and I expected that it would have reported to him and the Dáil before now. We see abuse of the elderly on a daily and weekly basis. It is not something to which we are accustomed. We always had respect for the elderly. However, recent court cases have seen people prosecuted for abuse of the elderly. Many elderly people live in isolated areas and in private and public homes where they are abused. There are all types of abuse, as I have pointed out in the House before, and these are increasing daily.

Action must be taken. If we are serious about taking care of the elderly, we must do something to protect them. It must be recalled that whatever we do for the elderly today, we will be expecting someone else to do for us tomorrow. The Government and its predecessor have failed to deal with this serious problem. I hope that we will see a help-line provided for in the Minister's report. If someone is upset, disturbed and in distress, whether in a public or a private institution, they should be able to make a complaint by telephone to someone who will deal with the matter. An elderly widower whose children have moved away, may find himself isolated and living alone. Such people may find themselves in public institutions and they expect the State and the caring professions to look after them. We have some wonderful people in the caring profession, but like every other sector there are good and bad people in it. We must protect the elderly, however.

The forthcoming budget should provide more money for services for the elderly. However, money should not be taken away from one area in order to be spent elsewhere. The budget should provide real free travel for the elderly. Something should be done for elderly persons living in isolated rural areas where there are no public transport facilities. They should be able to use their free travel passes in taxis or hackneys. The elderly cannot be expected to depend upon public services that are not there. The free travel pass should mean something.

The Government should introduce many more initiatives for the elderly, particularly those who are living at home. Old people living alone have two concerns, namely that they will have enough to eat and that they will be warm. The budget should include further initiatives to provide storage heaters or central heating for pensioners living alone. They should not be expected to depend on an open fire which cannot keep them warm.

I have raised the issue of abuse of the elderly in the Dáil on previous occasions. The working group was established because it was said that over 12,000 elderly people had been abused. That is an outrage. As in Italy, this country always looked after its old people, but recent reports have shown that fewer people are now looking after their elderly parents. More and more elderly people are being placed in nursing homes. The Minister should taken action in that regard in the near future. An inspectorate can inspect private nursing homes at any time, yet there is no such inspectorate for public institutions. It is time to put such an inspectorate on an independent statutory basis so that public and private institutions can be examined. The inspectorate should be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deal with such problems.

We should not forget the generation that went before us, because we will be the next generation of elderly people. We will be judged by the actions we take now, not by what we do in years to come.

I hope we will see positive results from the report of the working group. On budget day the Government should take positive steps to help the elderly – the people who put the country where it is today. They made sacrifices during the bad days. Now that we are in good economic conditions, it is time to give them part of the action.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt)

I thank Deputy Ring for raising this issue on the Adjournment, and also for his suggestions with regard to the forthcoming budget.

Following the publication of the report, "Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment of Older People: an Exploratory Study", by the National Council on Ageing and Older People, I established a broad-based working group in the autumn of last year to advise me on the formulation of procedures and guidelines on elder abuse. The working group is chaired by Dr. Desmond O'Neill, a consultant physician in medicine of old age. The terms of reference of the working group are to advise on the development of principles, policies and guidelines in relation to elder abuse and, in this regard, to make recommendations in relation to such of the following matters as it considers appropriate, definitions and terminology, identification and screening procedures, assessment protocols and procedures, management of sensitive information, recording and reporting procedures, inter-agency communications and referral practices, intervention issues and procedures to evaluate their impact, any necessary changes in legislation and legal procedures, training of relevant staff in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and the need for appropriate structures to deal with elder abuse.

The group includes representatives from my Department, health boards, the Garda Síochána, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation, the Association of Home Help Organisers and voluntary organisations who represent the interests of older people.

The group also includes a consultant physician in geriatric medicine, a consultant in the psychiatry of old age, a consultant psychiatrist and a general practitioner.

The group held its first meeting on 12 October 1999. It has drawn up a comprehensive two-year work programme which will involve, inter alia, the development of a training brief, the organisation of pilot projects, implementation of awareness and training programmes and the preparation of an evaluation report, culminating in the presentation of a final report to me.

I am providing significant resources to ensure that the work is completed in the time-frame envisaged. The report will be completed following the testing of draft policies, procedures and guidelines in pilot projects to be introduced in two locations for a period of nine months from January 2001. Training programmes will be provided for staff members and ongoing evaluation will take place. The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess whether the draft policies, procedures and guidelines in the identification, assessment and management of elder abuse are appropriately designed and effective in the two health boards areas.

The report is expected to be completed by the end of 2001 when the evaluated results of the pilot projects are available. The number of submissions received was previously reported to the Deputy as 73, in reply to a parliamentary question dated 10 October 2000. I am advised by the national council that the correct number is 64. I regret that incorrect information was given, due to a breakdown in communication between the national council and my Department. A summary report on the submissions will be included in the working group's report to me.