Nursing homes in Ireland are at a critical inflection point, according to a recent Insight Paper published by Nursing Homes Ireland, a national association of nursing homes. The absence of a national nursing home care policy is, according to NHI, one of the most serious systemic gaps in Ireland’s health and social care frameworks. Reinforcing this point, NHI CEO Tadhg Daly noted that “Ireland is ageing, and that’s something to be celebrated… but with that comes a shared responsibility to ensure older people are supported, valued and enabled to live with dignity.”  Ireland joins many countries in facing a significant demographic change. Between 2023 – 2043, the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to increase by 66% while the population aged 85 and older is expected to more than double.

Ireland is not alone in its call for government action. Globally, the lack of a policy framework  for long term care that is fully integrated, including nursing home care, is a gap the World Health Organization (WHO) identified as part of the UN Decade for Healthy Ageing. A truly person centered approach embeds long term care within the broader health and social systems while recognizing the unique needs nursing homes are designed to serve.

NHI’s report asserts that a policy framework must be rights-based, integrated, sustainable and focused on the lived experience of older people. The quality of life experienced by each resident depends on more than clinical oversight; it is shaped by meaningful relationships, autonomy and daily dignity. Contributing to the dialogue that resulted in the report, Professor Rose Anne Kenny of Trinity College, University of Dublin, noted that “national nursing home care policy must include a charter of rights for residents, equity of access and attention to the needs of staff”.

The absence of a cohesive national strategy leaves Ireland’s older persons and families to navigate a fragmented and increasingly complex care environment. To establish a unified national direction,  residents, families, care providers, regulators and government must all be engaged. “This is an opportunity to reframe residential care as a valid and valued option embedded in the broader ambition of ageing well.”

Access the Supporting Ageing in Place Policy, Integration, and Nursing Home Care Insight Paper.

Learn more about Nursing Homes Ireland’s work at nhi.ie.