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Irish Times
15 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Staff in nursing home at centre of neglect claims ‘did not show a shred of empathy' for woman (92)
Families affected by alleged elder abuse and neglect in a Dublin nursing home have said staff 'did not show one shred of empathy or concern' for their relatives. The documentary RTÉ Investigates: Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes , broadcast this week, alleges multiple instances of mistreatment of residents at Beneavin Manor, in Glasnevin , Dublin 11. Consultant geriatrician David Robinson said the home was host to 'institutional abuse', including elderly, sometimes frail people allegedly 'being left in incontinence pads for so long their clothes were soaked'. Both Beneavin Manor and The Residence in Portlaoise, which also featured in the programme, are operated by Emeis, the largest provider of private-nursing-home beds in the State. READ MORE Rose Keeley claimed her 92-year-old mother, Mary, who has dementia and mobility issues, suffered neglect at Beneavin Manor. She said her mother was scheduled to spend a week there during a period she was unable to mind her at home. Ms Keeley said her mother entered the residential home on a Saturday morning in February 2024 and was brought to the Mater hospital the following Tuesday after suffering from dehydration and 'not being fed or given her medicine' throughout her stay. She said she grew concerned when she visited her mother at about 6pm on the Monday and found her 'in absolute darkness' in a bedroom. When she asked a member of staff why her mother had been left in that manner, she said she was told 'if she wants to fall asleep she can fall asleep'. The next day, a family friend rang Ms Keeley to tell her that her mother was 'in absolute agony' with a back ache. She said two nursing assistants - who 'did not show one shred of empathy or concern' - then tried to move her mother, who was left 'screaming in pain'. She arranged for her mother to be transported to the Mater hopspital. Ms Keeley said he mother spent six weeks at a rehabilitation facility in Clontarf following her stay in Beneavin Manor and 'never went home after that'. She is now living in a different residential home. Fianna Fáil councillor for Ballymun-Finglas Keith Connolly said the RTÉ programme raised 'obvious concerns' and highlighted issues that should not be tolerated. 'This is not the first time concerns have been raised about nursing homes on a national scale,' he said, adding that extra resources must be allocated to the sector to address such problems. After Ms Keeley raised her mother's experience of Beneavin Manor with Mr Connolly last year, he contacted the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa). He said he was told by a regional manager that 'she would be in touch with [Ms Keeley] directly'. Ms Keeley said she has yet to be contacted by Hiqa about her mother's treatment. Hiqa wrote in a statement after the RTE Investigates programme was broadcast: 'Through its inspections of these services, Hiqa identified a number of significant concerns and as part of its escalatory action had stopped admissions to one of the centres. 'Further inspection reports on both of these centres are currently being finalised and will be published shortly. However, we are very concerned about the practices described in the programme and we have engaged directly with those responsible for the operation of the nursing homes.' It did not comment on Ms Keeley's case. Emeis Ireland, which owns and operates Beneavin Manor and 26 similar residential facilities across Ireland, said it apologised 'unequivocally to all residents and their families for the suffering and distress experienced as a result of failures identified in the care provided'. Emeis Ireland said it could not comment on individual cases.
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Who is Emeis and where are their Irish care homes located?
Emeis is a French nursing home group formerly known as Orpea. It entered the Irish market in 2020 through the takeover of the TLC Nursing Home portfolio and followed up with further deals. A review of all nursing homes operated by Emeis Ireland has now been requested by the Department of Health . Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Older People Kieran O'Donnell has asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to start the review of all nursing homes operated by the group in the wake of Wednesday's RTÉ Investigates programme. Emeis Ireland runs 27 residential homes across the State, two of which were the subject of the broadcast, which detailed alleged elder abuse and neglect , scenes described by HIQA as 'wholly unacceptable and shocking'. READ MORE Who is Emeis? The nursing home group entered the Irish market in 2020 through the takeover of the TLC Nursing Home portfolio and followed up with further deals. It reported a €70.2 million net loss in 2023, according to its latest annual financial statement, filed with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) in December 2024. That brought its accumulated losses over three years to more than €223 million. Emeis Ireland, the largest private operator in the sector, attributed most of the losses to the writing down of goodwill associated with peak-of-market acquisitions. Still, the company remained profitable at earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) level throughout the period. This was helped by the fact that, unlike several operators that entered the market in recent times, it owns most of its properties. Its French parent required a bailout in 2023, led by a state-owned investment firm, in the wake of a scandal over residents' mistreatment in its home market. 'The directors' primary concern is with the health and safety of the group's residents and our employees,' Emeis said in the annual financial statement 'The directors closely monitor and assess the ongoing risks to the health and safety of all residents and employees and develop responses accordingly.'
Irish Times
a day ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Review of all nursing homes operated by Emeis Ireland requested by Department of Health
A review of all nursing homes operated by Emeis Ireland has been requested by the Department of Health . Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Older People Kieran O'Donnell has asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to start the review of all nursing homes operated by the group in the wake of Wednesday's RTÉ Investigates programme. Emeis Ireland runs 27 residential homes across the State, two of which were the subject of the broadcast, which detailed alleged elder abuse and neglect , scenes described by HIQA as 'wholly unacceptable and shocking'. HIQA's Chief Inspector 'is taking escalated regulatory action in the nursing homes identified' and 'will take any necessary additional actions with the provider to ensure safe and effective care and support to all residents', a HIQA spokesperson said. READ MORE HIQA ordered admissions to The Residence in Portlaoise, featured in the programme, to be ceased after the release of a report in February detailed areas of significant concern. This order came into effect in April. The Residence featured alongside Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin, north Dublin, in the programme. The broadcast included scenes of older people allegedly being manhandled, 'forced' down into chairs, being left in incontinence pads for so long their clothes were soaked, and being ignored when they pleaded for help to go to the toilet. Emeis Ireland, previously known as Orpea, is the largest provider of private nursing home beds in the State. The Residence, Portlaoise, was found to be non-compliant with 10 regulations following the February inspection. It found staff were not appropriately trained to deliver effective and safe care and were not appropriately supervised, which was noted as being a repeated noncompliance. While most centres can expect one or two inspections each year, Hiqa said it carries out more inspections at centres where there are concerns or where there is repeated noncompliance. The Residence, Portlaoise, had three inspections last year and one in February. Beneavin Manor was also among the 36 nursing homes to receive three or more inspections in response to persistent noncompliance. Other enforcement steps available to Hiqa include cancelling the registration of a centre. However, it noted such action can cause 'significant upset and distress' to residents and their families. Following 840 inspections in total last year, the authority either refused to renew registration or cancelled the registration of 10 nursing homes. The Minister for Older People Kieran O'Donnell said he met Hiqa on Wednesday because of the 'urgency' of the situation exposed in the 'extremely distressing' RTÉ programme. 'Furthermore I've asked Hiqa to come back to me on the work they're doing in terms of the intensive engagement with the two nursing homes over the next week. And I've asked them to do an overview of the Emeis group itself in terms of all the nursing homes, in terms of the regulation and enforcement process,' he said. The Minister said he wanted to see inspections happening more frequently and faster responses to protected disclosures. The former general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Liam Doran, said he felt shame, anger and frustration at the scenes in the programme. 'And then I think sadness, just sadness at looking at people who have served this country, have worked for this country and have shown fortitude, much more than the modern generation and that's how we treat them. Shame, shame on all of us.' Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said on RTÉ's Claire Byrne Show: 'If people are not being cared for appropriately, with dignity, with respect, in an institution, well then that institution should not be operating. 'Hiqa need to really enforce that and to ensure that everyone has a basic level of dignity and care that they deserve in their twilight years.' The chairperson of Safeguarding Ireland, Patricia Rickard-Clarke has repeated a call on the Government to establish of an interdepartmental interagency working group to implement the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission's report from April 2024. This set out policy changes that needed to be made to implement safeguarding legislation. 'I am very disturbed and very distressed and very, very angry about this,' she told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland. 'We're 20 years after Leas Cross. We have gone backwards, I think,' she said, referring to the 2005 closure of the Dublin nursing home after revelations about the mistreatment of patients.l She said that Hiqa has questions to answer, but 'one of the limitations it has is that it doesn't have the function of taking individual complaints or concerns. It looks at systemic issues, and it goes in on an irregular basis, and also there was a delay in responding to a particular request (by a whistleblower)'. The CEO of The Alliance, a trade association for the nursing home sector in Ireland, Shane Scanlan, said he was 'utterly shocked and appalled' by the RTÉ exposé. 'As a nurse myself and the director of nursing for over 10 years, you just really feel for the residents and families that have been affected by this,' he told Newstalk Breakfast. 'I'd be calling for an immediate, independent, root and branch review of how Hiqa carries out their inspections and their methodology,' he said. Sean Moynihan of Alone has said that Ireland was 'walking into the privatisation of nursing homes' where economics seemed to be more important than the actual rights of the older person and the healthcare of older people. Speaking on RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Moynihan said the RTÉ exposé had been a 'very visible shock' of how older people are treated.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Singapore jails domestic helper who abused, choked elderly woman with dementia
A domestic helper who abused a 90-year-old woman with dementia under her care was jailed for a year in Singapore on Wednesday. Advertisement Kyal Kyal Tun, a Myanmar national, was caught on closed-circuit television manhandling the frail woman, including biting her hand, choking her and slamming her against a sofa. The victim was recorded screaming 'very painful' and crying for help. Kyal Kyal Tun, 39, earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of causing hurt to a vulnerable person, with four charges of a similar nature taken into consideration for her sentencing. The helper was hired by the victim's grandson to take care of the victim and her 91-year-old husband – who also has dementia – from September or October 2024. Advertisement The elderly couple, who lived in the same house as Kyal Kyal Tun, had mobility difficulties and both wore diapers.
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
Maid who abused 90-year-old woman with dementia gets jail
SINGAPORE: A domestic helper who abused a 90-year-old woman with dementia under her care was jailed for a year on Wednesday (Jun 4). Kyal Kyal Tun, a Myanmar national, was caught on closed-circuit camera television (CCTV) manhandling the frail woman, including biting her hand, choking her and slamming her against a sofa. The victim was recorded screaming "very painful" and crying for help. Kyal Kyal Tun, 39, earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of causing hurt to a vulnerable person, with four charges of a similar nature taken into consideration for her sentencing. The maid was hired by the victim's grandson to take care of the victim and her 91-year-old husband - who also has dementia - from September or October 2024. The elderly couple, who lived in the same house as Kyal Kyal Tun, had mobility difficulties and both wore diapers. On the night of Jan 3, 2025, Kyal Kyal Tun told a family member of the victim that the elderly man had fallen in the kitchen. The grandson reviewed CCTV footage and found out that the maid had physically abused the victim that day. He also saw that his grandfather fell a second time in his bedroom but was left there by Kyal Kyal Tun for 20 minutes. The next day, the grandson brought his grandparents to the hospital and called the police. Court documents detail Kyal Kyal Tun's actions against the elderly woman starting from 10.22pm on Jan 3, 2025. Kyal Kyal Tun berated the couple after the man had fallen. She then carried the woman and dropped her onto the sofa, before forcefully covering her mouth while grabbing both her hands. She also pressed the woman's head against the sofa and tapped her face. The maid continued the violence against the woman over the next 20 minutes, including hitting the woman's face and shaking her. She ignored the woman's pleas to stop, even when the victim said that she could die from Kyal Kyal Tun's actions. At one point, the maid dragged the elderly woman off the sofa onto the floor, and ignored her plea to help her up. She also bit the woman's hand, choked her and slammed her against the sofa multiple times. The maid was also recorded lecturing the elderly man about trying to walk when he could not. During investigations, Kyal Kyal Tun said she was very stressed at the time of the offences and took it out on the victim. The victim suffered from rib fractures and bruises across her body. However, the doctor could not state with certainty that the injuries were caused by the maid. For voluntarily causing hurt, a person could be jailed up to three years or fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900), or both.
