I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned, regarding the state of affairs in some private residential homes for the elderly, especially those found in the south of the island.

To begin with, the carers employed are the ordinary people in the street with a lack of knowledge on how to handle old people especially those who, during their stay in these homes, have become wheelchair bound. I even wonder whether the managers themselves have ever attended a geriatrics course. It's only the uniform that make them look like professional people.

There is a lack of indispensable apparatus needed to handle these old people from a wheelchair onto a bed. These old people are simply manhandled by two or even one carer while the old person is risking his skin being literally torn in the process. The directors of these homes are simply after their money and not their well-being or the well-being of the carers employed.

What about the lack of carers attending all these old people at night time when only one carer is employed to supervise the whole residence? To crown it all, relatives of these old people are paying huge sums of money to see their loved ones being given the necessary care at such an important stage in life.

These are only some of the shortcomings that have to be addressed before permits are granted for the opening of private residential homes for the elderly.

Those that already exist should be supervised immediately for the benefit of our dear ones.