Elderly becoming homeless

This is an opinion piece, but after reading what I wrote, I wonder if it is.?

In Ireland, the closing of nursing homes due to a lack of funding has been devastating to the elderly population, their families, the local communities and our healthcare system.

Imagine if you woke up tomorrow and read a front-page story of an apartment building with 100 apartments being closed down. A hundred families living there are effectively being made homeless, relocated to hotel rooms around the country, and moved away from their support systems and the people they know and love. What would you think??

Now imagine it starts happening once a month across the country, with stories of more apartment building closures to come.

Hundreds of families are being made homeless. The reason being it was no longer affordable for the landlords to stay landlords. Their cost to maintain the building, the grounds and utility expenses in shared spaces meant they were losing money, so they decided to close their building.?

There would be uproar, and it would dominate the pages of our newspapers and every show on the TV and radio. The people losing their homes would speak up and do so loudly.

Many readers are now thinking this would not be possible. We, as a society, would not let it happen.?

Well, it is happening and has been happening for the past year.?

For many older people, nursing homes have been a lifeline in providing them with the care they need, such as medical assistance and emotional support. But most notably, with a home. Somewhere they feel safe, comfortable and cared for.?

They are places our loved ones go to live when it is no longer possible for them to live at their original home due to the care they need but make no mistake, it is their home.?

With the closure of nursing homes, older people, our loved ones,?are now at risk of being left without the care they need and deserve, losing their homes, and in many cases, becoming homeless.?

The closing of nursing homes has profoundly impacted elderly residents, leaving them confused, scared, and isolated. Without the support and care of a nursing home from people, they have come to know that, like family, many elderly residents are at risk of deteriorating health, worse living conditions, and a lack of social interaction. Many of the residents were already in a fragile state of health and now face uncertain futures.

So when this happens, where do they go?

Some relocate to other nursing homes, and some move back in with family, but many become homeless, so we give them a bed in one of our hospitals.?

The ripple effect caused is enormous, impacting not only the residents but also their families and caregivers. Families are now struggling to provide the necessary care for their elderly relatives, while caregivers are dealing with the emotional stress of relocating their patients.?

Local communities have also felt the financial burden of closing nursing homes. Local businesses that provided services to the nursing homes have been forced to close, and many qualified staff working in the home are now unemployed. This can have a severe impact on the local economy.

Housing the residents in hospitals is traumatic for them and their families and puts massive stress on the whole healthcare system, not to mention the related costs.

So why is it not on the front page of every paper or being covered daily on TV and radio? Well one reason is that the main person being affected, the one becoming homeless, are not shouting and screaming because they can't.?

They have grown old in Ireland, worked, paid taxes, raised families and now need people to shout for them, but enough people are not shouting.?

So what are we going to do about it??

The closure of nursing homes is a tragic event for the elderly and their families, but the situation has a cause—the lack of adequate funding for the nursing sector in Ireland. For years, Ireland's private nursing home sector has been underfunded, which has now come to a head with the closure of nursing homes.?

The lack of resources has meant that older people are not getting the care and support they need, leading to a further deterioration in their health and well-being.

The government must take action to address the lack of funding for the nursing sector in Ireland. Without proper funding, the closure of nursing homes will continue to have devastating effects on the elderly and their families. The elderly deserve the care and support they need, and the government must ensure adequate resources are in place to meet their needs.

Please ask any questions you like. If I don't know the answer, I will find it.

Please like and comment, so as many people as possible read this.?