'Too young to be here': Parkinson’s patient, 47, trapped in Cork nursing home due to lack of State support

With no alternative care options, young Parkinson’s patients like Colm O’Catháin are left to fade away in nursing homes

'Hell, Hell, Hell' is how Colm O’Cathain, 47, describes life in a nursing home. With no age-appropriate care available, he feels trapped in a system that doesn’t support people with early-onset Parkinson’s. Picture: Chani Anderson

Colm O’Catháin is well accustomed to having strangers wander into his bedroom at any time of the day.

“It’s to be expected in a place like this,” he tells me.