Mary Butler TD A Fianna Fáil representative claims older people are “not being treated fairly” when it comes to healthcare treatment and coverage by mainstream media.
Mary Butler TD, the party’s spokesperson on the elderly, told The Irish Catholic that those aged over 65 with Covid-19 being admitted to hospital may not be getting the clinical care they require.
Recent figures published by Health Protection Surveillance Centre this week shows 1,321 people over 65 were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and 124 of them went to an intensive care unit (ICU).
“I accept that ICU may not be appropriate for many older people,” Deputy Butler said. “Yet there is significant concern and apprehension that older people are not being treated fairly.
“The standard admittance rate is normally 13.6%. The rate to date is 9.4%, so that is a drop of 4.2% and I am concerned about that.
“I felt it was important to raise the issue that fewer than 10% of those over 65 progress to the ICU and there is a growing fear being raised by older people that they may not get the full range of treatment and care available to them.”
Treatment
Meanwhile, philosopher Dr Catherine Kavanagh has insisted that treatment should not be rationed for older people based on age alone. The acting head of philosophy at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick insists that patients who will benefit most from the treatment “should get it”.
She insisted that if the “resources are available”, then there is “no reason not to treat a patient of 90 years of age, or a Down Syndrome patient”.
However, in the case of “triage” where there are not enough resources to go around, she says those “most likely to benefit most” from it “should be the ones who receive it”.
“It is going too far to assume that some people’s quality of life does not merit access to treatment, even if it is available, and therefore to exclude them from getting treatment before they ever become ill – whatever the situation might be with regard to availability or benefit to the patient or the patient’s wishes.
“That is to deliberately condemn some people to death, without making any attempt to deal with whatever situation might present itself in real time, and far from being triage, does look very much like involuntary euthanasia,” she said.
On the issue of personal protective equipment, Deputy Butler said that her attention had been drawn to a number of issues relating to staff in home care settings since the onset of Covid-19.
“Around 90% of deaths are among the over 65s and many of these deaths are happening in care home settings…Private or public, it doesn’t make any difference: it’s clear that care for the elderly is very important.
Mandatory
“For example,” she said, “it is now mandatory that masks be worn in all hospitals and nursing homes but it is not mandatory for them to be worn in the home care setting.
“It is very important that those cared for in their own homes have the same terms and conditions in terms of PPE for those who come into their homes to care for them as those working in hospitals and nursing homes,” she said.