Vol. 527 No. 5
5 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the proposals he has to deal with abuse of the elderly following the recent report drawn up by the National Council on Ageing and Older People; and if he will set up a helpline for the elderly similar to Childline. [28807/00]
Following the publication of the report entitled "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 autumn last year to advise me on the formulation of procedures and guidelines on elder abuse. The group is chaired by Dr. Desmond O'Neill, 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, 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. It has drawn up a comprehensive two year work programme which will involve, inter alia, development of a training brief, the organisation of pilot projects, implementation of awareness and training programmes, preparation of evaluation reports and will culminate in the presentation of a final report to me. I am providing significant resources to ensure that the work is completed within the timeframe envisaged.
Draft policies, procedures and guidelines will be tested 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 board areas. The report is expected to be completed by the end of 2001, when the evaluated results of the pilot projects are available.
Additional InformationThe provision of a help line as suggested by the Deputy, is obviously an issue which comes within the remit of the working group and will doubtless be considered. I should point out, however, that a helpline known as Senior Help Line is available to callers anywhere in the country for the price of a local call. The telephone number is 1850-440444. The scheme, which is run by a voluntary organisation, is supported by the health boards through the Office for Health Gain and provides a confidential service to older people who may be lonely, isolated or in distress.
Last year in Dublin an elderly woman lay dead in her home for five days before anyone found her. We do not know how long she was ill or in pain prior to that. The Minister did not answer my question. Why can a helpline not be established for these vulnerable people? Some elderly people are cared for by their families while others are in private and State care. Why not set up a helpline so that if these people feel ill, insecure or want to report someone they can get help? They cannot be expected to report somebody if they are in the care of that person.
I cannot say if the case cited by the Deputy was abuse but it is an unfortunate one which we would not like to recur.
She had been dead for five days.
As regards a telephone helpline, that will be suggested to the working group. I should point out that a helpline, known as senior helpline, is available to older people anywhere in the country for the price of a local call. The telephone number is 1850-4440444. The scheme, which is a run by a voluntary organisation, is supported by the health boards through the Office of Health Gain and provides a confidential service to older people who may be lonely, isolated or in distress.
That should be promoted. However, it cannot be done on a voluntary basis. It must be done by professional people. The scheme should be put in place immediately. Is the Minister of State aware of a report by the National Council on Ageing and Older People that stated over 12,000 people were being abused? If we heard that was happening in a foreign country Members would table questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and would be telling that country how to run its business. What will the Minister do about the abuse of 12,000 people in this country? A helpline should be set up so that these people would feel confident making a complaint if they were being abused, living in fear or facing some difficulty. They cannot be expected to complain to a matron, a nurse or a family member who is looking after them if they are being abused by them.
As the Deputy points out, the guesstimate – that is a comparison with other regions around the world – is 3% of the elderly may be over 65 years. The group that will report will give advice on the helpline as suggested by the Deputy. There is a helpline in place already and it should be publicised. The Deputy's suggestion is a good one. One person being abused is one too many. We cannot accept that. I have advised the health boards to make special note of that, to be suspicious and always on the lookout. That applies to all health workers, be it public health nurses, those in casualty departments, consultants in gerontology or people in community care.
We must move on to the next question.
Has the Department any costing on it?
Not as yet.
