Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “It is shocking that there were around 3,023 instances of abuse against older people in care homes in 2013/14, a rise of nearly 50% in two years. There can be no excuse whatsoever, whether the abuse takes place in a family setting or in a care home – it must not be tolerated.
“The Assembly must make sure that it uses all its available powers to ensure every single older person is protected. I am pleased that the Donaldson report has put forward a series of recommendation to improve the regulation of care homes, which follows good work by my colleague Stewart Dickson.
“There are misconceptions that abuse only refers to physical assaults, but it can include different cases such as neglect and malnourishment, as well as verbal and emotional abuse. We must raise awareness of all forms of abuse and encourage people to contact the authorities if they have any suspicion that abuse is taking place.”
ENDS