Independent candidate in Mayo, Councillor Michael Kilcoyne has stated that if elected in the forthcoming General Election one of his priorities will be to ensure that the rights of senior citizens are enshrined in law and breaches of these rights will carry severe personal penalties for those who infringe the rights of older people.
Cllr Kilcoyne said our health service needed major reform and one of his concerns is the care of our elderly and their health. He said that the right to an adequate comprehensive health service was a basic right, and that elderly patients being left on hospital trolleys often lying in corridors should become a thing of the past.
Cllr Kilcoyne also believes that no elderly person should be left waiting on a hospital trolley, and the absolute maximum should be no more four hours and where breaches of this occurred it would have severe consequences for the management of the institutions concerned. He promised that if elected to campaign to have this enshrined in law.
He continued: “Proper long-term care including nursing home services that are affordable and meet the needs of older people must be provided. A properly funded home help service where adequate time and care is allocated and provided by the State free to the elderly is a priority.”
People should have the right to choose the nursing home in which they wish to spend their senior years. He said he abhors the practice of our elderly people being forced to move into nursing homes and district hospitals against their will, not in their own area and away from family and friends. This he said can lead to distress and trauma not only for the elderly patient but for their families and he stated: “I have had first hand experience of this happening here in Mayo.”
While adequate and suitable housing at a price and in a location of choice should be available to all our citizens, the needs of the elderly with regard to housing must be addressed and adequate grants be made available to local authorities to enable elderly people to live in comfort and safety in their own homes,” continued Cllr Kilcoyne. Community groups should be funded to enable them to provide transport and other facilities to help improve quality of life of our senior citizens.
He felt that our senior citizens should be consulted by government at all levels and their views taken on board. Cllr Kilcoyne said no cuts should be made to pensions and in fact it should increase with inflation each year. He also wants the Christmas bonus reinstated.
Cllr Kilcoyne concluded: “Any nation that can’t look after it’s senior citizens as I have outlined above is not entitled to be called a republic.”
