The Plight of the Elderly in Irish Hospitals

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday September 24, 2005 23:59 by Mary Round maryround at skilark dot co dot uk 33 Middlehill Road Colehill Wimborne Dorset BH21 2SB 00 44 1202886035

The Late Late Show 23 September 2005

Congratulations, at last someone has highlighted the disastrous state of the health service in Ireland.
I am so delighted to hear that the Late Late Show has highlighted the plight most find themselves in when admitted to hospitals in Ireland. Hopefully at last something might be done to help the vulnerable elderly.

Abuse of the Elderly in Irish hospitals is appalling and someone needs to investigate the hospitals in Ireland and how the elderly are treated immediately.
In Ireland many of our senior citizens are at risk, vulnerable and invisible in the society especially when it comes to care in our hospitals, which our family have seen and encountered during the past 18 months in two of our Co Dublin hospitals. We were disgusted with the treatment of the elderly, which we witnessed.

I often think of Alice who was in the same ward in a Co Dublin hospital as my mother in 2004. She did not appear to have any relations and the staff did not have the time to even help her eat her yoghurts. My sister on occasions would help feed Alice the uneaten yoghurts or help her when she cried for help. Before Alice contacted an infectious disease and was isolated she would say to my sister “They are trying to kill me”.
That same hospital in 2004 did not have any antibiotics for urinary infections to give to patients over a bank holiday weekend. My mother had contacted a urinary infection and was actually crying and screaming with pain for hours before we managed to get the one and only doctor on call for the entire hospital which included A & E to prescribe some pain killers. When we said we would go in search of antibiotics they agreed to send someone out of the hospital to get them, as they had none in stock.
The elderly are not given the respect or time and are not treated with the dignity and care they deserve. We need laws to protect our older persons.
Abuse awareness training should be a priority in every hospital and care home in Ireland.
The state of the health service in Ireland is appalling and no one wants to answer any questions.

We have had an extremely terrifying time with the health service.
My mother died on 14 May 2005 in hospital after suffering so much pain and discomfort due to bad management. It makes the family ill to think of how much she had to endure in her final 28 days. The consultant physician in geriatric medicine actually lied to me on two occasions and on other occasions tried to act as God to my brother and sister. For example on one occasion the consultant told me that my mother had had a cardiac arrest, which has been proved negative by the Post Mortem examination. On another occasion we were told by him which was witnessed that there was nothing wrong with the IV which had caused extensive swelling in my mother’s hand and arm over a 24 hour period. This also has proved to be incorrect. We requested a Post Mortem, as there were so many unanswered questions.
We recently received the Post Mortem Examination result on my mother, which shows no evidence of medication my mother, should have been given while in hospital or evidence of MRSA, which she contacted.
The Health Service, Doctors, State Pathologist, hospital and even Mary Harney will not answer any of the family questions. I have received many dilatory replies the last dated 28 July 2005 from the office of Mr Kevin Kelly Interim Chief Executive at that time confirming that the Health Service Executive is currently dealing with our complaint.
I have fully documented all details as we want answers and we do not want anyone ever again to go through the agony my mother had to endure in hospital needlessly. We could not even get private care even thought my mother had paid into the VHI all her life.
My dog was in hospital in Bristol, UK for ten days last year and she got more care and attention than my poor mother or any other elderly patient I saw over the past two years in hospitals in Ireland.
Please continue highlighting the needs further of the elderly in hospitals who are treated so disgracefully.
If you require any further information please email me or telephone my brother Seamus on 2800600 or my sister Margaret on 2802589 who live in Dalkey and Sandycove respectively.

Regards
Mary Round
33 Middlehill Road
Colehill
Wimborne
Tel 0044 1202 886035