The continued placement of younger disabled people in nursing homes represents a serious human rights failure and shows that the State has moved far too slowly to implement the recommendations of the Ombudsman\u2019s \u2018Wasted Lives\u2019 report, according to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide.<\/p>\n
Deputy Quaide, who is the party\u2019s disability spokesperson, made his comments after a response to a parliamentary question he submitted revealed there were 1,209 people under the age of 65 living in nursing homes at the end of December 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe figures show that in January 2021, when the Ombudsman\u2019s report was published, the number stood at 1,349 \u2014 so we\u2019re only seeing a reduction of 140 people in almost five years. This is a desperately sad and indefensible situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive years after the \u2018Wasted Lives\u2019 report, far too many younger people with disabilities or chronic conditions are still living in settings that were never designed to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese include people with acquired brain injuries, intellectual disabilities, or conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. For many, nursing home care becomes the default because the community-based services, housing and specialist supports are simply not there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe slow pace of change highlights a widening gap between Ireland\u2019s economic strength and its delivery of disability rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping younger people in nursing homes is an affront to dignity, independence and the right to live in the community. It is also clear from previous studies that many people in this situation would prefer to live in supported accommodation or independent community settings if those options existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I acknowledge the work of staff in supporting people to transition back into their communities, overall progress in this area remains modest. Any movement in the right direction should be recognised, but set against the scale of the problem identified in \u2018Wasted Lives\u2019, the rate of change has been far too slow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere needs to be a clear step-change by the State in delivery. What is missing is not evidence or solutions \u2014 it is urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need year-on-year reduction targets, major investment in accessible housing, and much stronger ring-fenced funding for community rehabilitation and specialist supports.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe need for autonomy, purpose and community integration does not end at 65, with many older residents in nursing homes also lacking appropriate alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
February 16, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The continued placement of younger disabled people in nursing homes represents a serious human rights failure and shows that the State has moved far too slowly to implement the recommendations of the Ombudsman\u2019s \u2018Wasted Lives\u2019 report, according to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide. Deputy Quaide, who is the party\u2019s disability spokesperson, made his comments after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[499,11,652,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disability","category-health","category-liam-quaide","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n