Legislative failings leading to abuse in nursing homes

Gaps in the legislation and lack of sufficient checks in nursing homes allow for many cases of old people abuse and neglect according to the director of the Third Age observatory Yiannoula Antoniou.

Dozens of complaints by nursing home employees and relatives of residents are made, however none has so far proceeded to court.

Earlier this week, geriatrician and head of the National Gerontology Centre NGO Marios Kyriazis published two photos taken from a nursing home in Nicosia as part of efforts to gather material to report the facility.

The first photo showed pieces of leftover bread from dinner, which the “master chef” in the nursing home will mix it with milk and create a type of panade to serve it as breakfast for the residents of the care home, Kyriazis explained in his post on Thursday.

A toilet without a toilet seat next to a shower that was used to store mops and buckets was depicted in the second photo.

“The way we treat the elderly also shows our culture. I know we’re going through difficult times. And that we need to save money. But not to this point!” the doctor added.

Following the publication of those photos, the director of the non-profit organisation third age observatory Yiannoula Antoniou told the media that former employees of specific nursing homes have talked about appalling conditions. Abuse cases also came to light by relatives who suspected employees were mistreating their loved ones.

However, they refuse to make official complaints. This might be due to concerns about expensive legal fees, she told the Cyprus Times.

There are cases where nurses and care givers refuse to give water to the residents as of the evening, to avoid changing many adult diapers overnight, Antoniou said.

She also mentioned a case where following suspicions of a relative, a pensioner was examined by a doctor who determined there were signs of physical abuse. Then, the family transferred the patient to another care home, without proceeding with the initial police complaint.

This is why a competent committee should be set up to carry out surprise inspections in nursing homes, Antoniou said, referring to the shortcomings of the current legislation.

Meanwhile, a new bill is expected to be approved by parliament, which provides for better checks in these facilities.