Nursing home sets the standard we need

MUCH has been spoken and written about nursing homes since the RTÉ Prime Time programme exposed the problems in one privately-owned institution.

Many institutions calling themselves nursing homes should be called retirement homes. While this may not at first seem an important distinction, it is, in fact, fundamental to the issue.

The structure and level of care needed in a nursing home, the level of staff competence and skill, does not compare to what is required in a retirement home.