Gaps in the legislation and lack of sufficient checks in nursing homes as well as overcrowded public hospitals with indifferent staff allow for many cases of old people abuse and neglect in Cyprus.
This is what Philenews reported on Wednesday citing representatives of both the Third Age observatory and the Patients Observatory.
Dozens of complaints by nursing home employees and relatives of residents are reportedly made, along with almost daily ones over mistreatment of elderly patients at public hospitals.
At the same time, public outcry still continues over an elderly patient who was recently left naked on a bed in Limassol general hospital.
The photograph was published in Facebook by geriatrician Marios Kyriazis who has rung the bell more than once in the past.
President of the third age observatory Dinos Antoniou has said that incidents such as this cannot be swept under the rug.
And that in January alone 44 complaints had been received by his organisation.
As for this month, three different complaints concerning mistreatment or misbehaviour towards elderly people during their hospitalization were received, so far.
Moreover, nursing home residents – mainly in state nursing homes – complain of inadequate care for the elderly.
There was an incident with an elderly woman sent back from the hospital to her nursing home naked while others return bearing overwhelming wounds on their bodies.
