Families are living in “real fear” their loved one’s nursing home could close, Aontú has claimed. 

The party notes that 900 nursing home beds have been lost over the past four years and one third of homes are losing money.

Despite this, the ERSI has predicted demand for places is set to increase in the years ahead.

“The Government are going in the wrong direction, we’re actually losing nursing home places,” TD Peadar Tóibín said.

“A key element of this is that there are many older people and their families at the moment who are [living] in real fear that they will be turfed out of their nursing homes in the next number of months and they will have to seek alternative arrangements.

“Because of the falling number of nursing homes, those options are reducing all the time.”

Funding

Deputy Tóibín said the sector is struggling with the cost of living crisis and needs more support from the Government.

“Nursing homes claim that funding is insufficient to meet the spiralling costs of providing care [and] the figures seem to bear this out,” he said.

“Recently published figures suggest that HSE nursing homes receive nearly 70% per resident more than private nursing homes.

“This translates to €744 more per resident, per week, under the Fair Deal in a public nursing home when compared with nursing homes operated privately.

“For example, a rural nursing home locked into a three year contract is getting an increase in funding from the state of €2 a day per person.”

There are roughly 25,000 people living in nursing homes in Ireland.

Main image: A pensioner. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa