Keeping in touch vital for elderly

SADLY, despite the excellent community alert scheme run by Muintir na Tíre, elderly people living in remote areas can sometimes slip through the net of communal vigilance.

Tragically, the shocking discovery of the decomposed body of a woman in her family home in Mayo provides chilling evidence of this.

In view of the spate of assaults on elderly people over the years, it is important to stress that gardaí are not treating as suspicious the death of 70-year-old Agnes Lyons whose remains were found in the house where she lived with her brother and sister in a remote area near Ballyhaunis.

This is a truly heart-rending case which only came to light when a doctor was called to treat the woman’s sister who had fallen and was suffering from malnutrition.

The woman had been dead for several months and it had been three years since any family member had visited the town.

Hopefully, this tragic event will serve as a reminder of the constant need to keep in touch with elderly people, no matter how reclusive they are.