Nursing home fine an ‘insult’

THE family of Maura Reynolds, the elderly woman missing since vanishing from a nursing home two years ago, have described as “disgusting” the €2,000 fine imposed on the home owners for failing to take proper care of her.

“We were horrified by the fine,” said Ms Reynolds’ daughter-in-law, Priscilla Reynolds. “It’s disappointing. It’s disgusting.”

Ms Reynolds, a 78-year-old widow with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, disappeared from the Tara Care Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, on Christmas night in 2005. Despite searches, no trace of her has ever been found and she is presumed dead.

Bray District Court heard subsequently how staff at the nursing home failed to use raised sides on Ms Reynolds’ bed, did not carry out the stipulated two-hourly checks on her and left a back door of the premises open. Owners Anne and Paul Costello were convicted last week with breaching the nursing home regulations in failing to provide adequate care and were fined €1,000 each.

Priscilla Reynolds told RTE Radio’s Spirit Moves programme last night she and her husband George were dismayed to discover the regulations were contained in legislation that dated back to 1990. “A nursing home will charge about €3,000 a month to take care of a resident yet the penalty is €1,000 for a major issue of negligence, so it doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the issue. It’s an insult to elderly people.”

She said she wanted an explanation as to why long-promised changes to the nursing home legislation had not materialised. “I am asking the question why. Who are they protecting that they don’t need to increase the penalties? It gives no sense of security to an elderly person having to go into a home that they will be looked after, or indeed if they are not looked after that it will have an impact on the home itself.”

Ms Reynolds’ son George described the family’s distress when they discovered she was missing. “We were devastated when we found out because we knew how serious it was,” he said.

Despite not being able to bury her, George said it gave them some sense of relief and closure to know her ordeal had brought attention to the shortcomings in nursing homes.

Tadgh Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, admitted public confidence had been damaged but said the State was at fault for failing to update regulations. “Accidents happened but official state neglect is not an accident. There is no urgency around the legislation,” he said.