A reader from Co Mayo got in touch in the early hours of this morning after watching the RTÉ Prime Time programme uncovering the mistreatment of residents at the care home Áras Attracta in Swinford. She felt compelled to share the shame she feels for what has happened in her beloved home county...
Dear Editor,
It's 1.15 am and I need to be up for work in five and a half hours. But I can't sleep! I can't sleep because of the sickness in the pit of my stomach, caused by the heartache and upset of the Staff of Bungalow 3 in Áras Attracta.
I'm from Mayo, and have lived there all my life(except for emigrating to Galway for a couple of years). I work in Dublin three days a week, and choose to commute because I love my county. I love the people that live in it. I love our dry humour, our passion for GAA football, our annual visit to Croke Park to pick up Sam Maguire, our sense of community, our ability to disguise neighbourly nosiness for "pure concern", our ability to take the complete piss out of ourselves, and everyone we meet!.
Tonight I feel nothing but shame. To think that people with intellectual disabilities were treated in such a disgusting, inhumane manner in my beloved county, sickens me to the core. Where was our neighbourly nosiness? Where was our "pure concern"?
There are carers throughout our county, and country who look after the sick, in hospitals and homes like Áras Attracta. And they show the patients nothing but love and care. They give them the comfort that they so deserve. They do this with ease, because this is not a job to them, it's a vocation.
There are not enough words to describe what happened in Bungalow 3. Abuse and torture, both physically and mentally was inflicted on these poor people, day after day, hour after hour. This is their Hell on Earth!
We as Irish people are known for helping the poor and under privileged at home and abroad. We are shocked at the way people are treated in foreign shores. We actually claim to be superior to third world countries.
We are a bunch of hypocrites.
We have the greatest crimes against humanity happening on our own doorstep!
While I can't sleep tonight, I wonder how the staff of Bungalow 3 EVER slept straight in bed. I wonder did they go home after eight hours abusing these patients, and suddenly become loving mothers, father, daughters, son, sisters, brother. When they were asked, how was their day at work, how did they answer?
Did they watch tonight's programme with their families, and did their children ask them if they worked in Bungalow 3? How did they answer?
My 13-year-old son went to bed tonight with tears in his eyes, feeling sick. His last words to his sister were "no way are Mam and Dad ever going to a home, we will look after them."
Enough said.
Martina Jennings
Hollymount
Co Mayo
