Figures obtained by Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide show that the process of transferring younger people out of inappropriate nursing home settings remains frustratingly slow.
Deputy Quaide, who is the party’s spokesperson on disability, said:
“Four years after the publication of the Ombudsman’s ‘Wasted Lives’ report, the HSE has confirmed to me that there are 1,227 people under the age of 65 living in nursing homes due to a lack of more suitable community-based residential placements.
“The majority of this group have an acquired brain injury, while others have conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida or an intellectual disability.
“This is a desperately sad and indefensible situation. It is another example of how much distance is opening up between our economic prosperity, on the one hand, and the vindication of disabled people’s basic rights, on the other.
“Perpetuating younger people’s reliance on nursing homes is an affront to their dignity and right to independence.
“The Ombudsman has warned that Ireland will look back with regret at how it treated these citizens. He expressed dissatisfaction with the funding allocation in 2025, warning that a huge amount of work in implementing the recommendations of the ‘Wasted Lives’ report may now be in jeopardy. He also noted that there needs to be a separate budget to help relocate younger people who have been placed in nursing homes.
“The Disability Federation of Ireland has highlighted how some younger people with disabilities are being placed in nursing homes because of a breakdown in family care arrangements. This might, for instance, involve an ageing parent or the decline in the health of a family carer, rather than because of the disability itself.
“When community-based rehabilitation is fragmented, under-developed or under-resourced, nursing home care may be the only option for some younger people with disabilities. It is clear from the federation’s research that some would have preferred to return home. Others expressed a preference for living in more supportive accommodation or moving to an independent living, community-based setting.
“Nursing homes are also being used for temporary care for people awaiting a placement in the National Rehabilitation Hospital. However, in the absence of specialist services for the person to transition to, some are becoming stranded in nursing homes where, the HSE has admitted, their rehabilitation needs are not being met.
“The failure to adequately fund the implementation of the recommendations of the Ombudsman’s 2021 report is a major human rights issue that the government needs to address as a matter of urgency.
“It is important to note there are many people in nursing homes aged over 65 whose needs for connection, rehabilitation and community integration are also not being met in these settings, and who should be supported to live at home or in more community-integrated services.
“There must be a proper commitment in the upcoming budget that will allow for full implementation of the ‘Wasted Lives’ report recommendations. Younger people with disabilities or chronic illness should no longer be reliant on nursing homes but instead supported to live and receive appropriate rehabilitation in their communities.”
August 19, 2025