Tag Archives: St Theresa’s Nursing Home

IMPROVEMENTS in relation to storage, premises and infection prevention in a Kilrush Nursing Home have been requested by an independent watchdog. While a Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report found St Theresa’s Nursing Home, Kilkee Road, Kilrush was striving to implement systems and controls to protect residents from the risks associated with infections, improvements were required in relation to storage, premises and infection prevention and control governance and oversight to comply with infection control. A HIQA inspector found auditing practices in the centre were not effective. Two external audit type reviews were seen by the inspector, but these were not sufficient in detail to drive infection prevention and control practices and renovation plans. Additional nursing management roles had recently returned and been recruited and the inspector could see where further plans for role responsibility including auditing and supervision was starting to take place. A number of infrastructural issues impacted effective infection prevention and control. The sluice room was co-located …

IN recent weeks, debate has been raging over the Covid-19 death toll in residential facilities across Ireland. Despite the differing political opinions, there is little doubt that those living and working in nursing homes were at the forgotten front line for a number of crucial weeks as the pandemic took hold. Keeping coronavirus out involves a heroic struggle against an ever-present enemy. St Theresa’s Nursing Home in Kilrush, is one of the facilities that has managed to avoid an outbreak, while as many a quarter of homes in Clare have been affected to-date, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE). “My heart goes out to those who have had outbreaks,” said Yvonne Moroney, Director of Nursing at the family run facility on the Kilkee Road. “They have done everything in their power, but there is a constant risk and we are all living with that risk.” Yvonne, who is on call 24/7 at St Theresa’s, has seen an already demanding …

CLARE GP and former Dáil deputy, Dr Michael Harty has said the while the ongoing ban on visitors to nursing homes was “a dilemma”, the time was not yet right to lift restrictions. The Kilmihil-based GP said that, despite a call from the nursing homes regulator to look at allowing visits, the overriding concern had to be keeping Covid-19 out. Earlier this week, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) called on health officials to examine ways of easing restrictions, over concern for the welfare of residents. “For elderly people, isolation from family and visitors is very restrictive,” Dr Harty said. “But, we must balance the dilemma that poses with keeping the virus out. Given the devastating impact that Coronavirus can have, the balance probably comes down in favour of the restrictions.” Noting that some nursing homes were facilitating families to see residents at their bedroom windows, or by video call, Dr Harty said that these were the preferred option …

AS visiting restrictions remain in place at the country’s nursing homes, staff at St Theresa’s in Kilrush pulled out all the stops to lift the spirits of residents and staff with a musical celebration of Easter. On the Tuesday of Easter Week, residents went to their windows to hear the music of the hugely popular Patrick Roche, and watch the dancing of Tadhg and Saidhbh Moroney, the son and daughter of the Director of Nursing, who were able to perform outdoors in the fine weather. “Patrick’s mum is one of our residents,” explained Yvonne Moroney. “His band is so popular and we were delighted that he was able to come and play for us. There was huge excitement and his performance cheered everyone up so much.” Tadhg and Saidhbh, aged 9 and 8 respectively, attend the Michael Donnellan School of Dancing in Ennis and, in normal circumstances, would be popular visitors at St Theresa’s. “Before the restrictions, they would have …

NURSING home operators in Clare have spoken of their fears after a dramatic rise in the number of Covid-19 clusters in such settings nationally. Some have revealed that they have had to introduce infection control procedures and cover the rising cost of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) themselves, while waiting for the recently-announced government supports to come on stream. Figures published on Wednesday by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) showed a total of 86 clusters at nursing homes across the country. The data, which was collected up to midnight on Sunday, shows three of these are in the Midwest and ten in the West, with the majority in the East of the country. “Clearly, nursing homes look after very immunocompromised people,” said Dr Billy O’Connell of Miltown Malbay. “An outbreak of Covid-19 could have terrible consequences.” While he welcomed the new Department of Health fund for PPE, training, advice and staff-testing, as well as the support of Health Information and …

HIS room in St Theresa’s Nursing Home, Kilrush is neatly dotted with photographs and postcards. The photos include local GAA teams and shots of Michael McMahon with his brother, Stephen, who has lived and worked in England for 50 years. Until he was robbed and abruptly left his dilapidated home in Cree six years ago, Michael lived without electricity or running water. He had to leave his front door permanently ajar. Otherwise, his house would fill with a dense smoke from the turf fire. He kept to himself and didn’t mix, not realising what he was missing out on. Now, he is certain that he could never return to that lifestyle. “I’d be dead in a week. The cold was immense. When I’d be going to bed, my fingers would be stiff with ice after handling the clothes on the bed. I’d have to go up to the fire to try and loosen them. I was looking at a bleak …