Care inspections - Elderly are owed respect, not contempt

IF Irish society were judged on how the elderly are cared for, this country would come at the bottom of any international league table.

Hot on the heels of the damning exposé of the Leas Cross outrage, a new report by an expert group has raised questions about the inconsistency of inspections at privately owned nursing homes across the country.

Few would quibble with Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny’s description of Ireland’s inspection regime as “a national scandal”. Successive governments, but especially the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition, which has held power for nine years, have failed to treat senior citizens with the dignity they deserve.

In the cynical world of politics, if the elderly represented a powerful voting bloc, the situation would doubtless improve radically overnight. What people in their twilight years should get from Government, public officials and nursing home operators is respect — not contempt.