IRELAND - nursing home care - Seeking recommendations and advice Midlands/Mullingar possibly Dublin area.

[Toothfairy75]

I am wondering if there are any members on this platform who have experience of care homes in Ireland they can recommend for individuals with advanced PSP?

My father is 76 years old and has advanced PSP. Formerly extremely active until his disease began to manifest it's symptoms, he is now wheelchair dependent, catheterised and dependent on others for essentially everything. He is still able to feed himself, but only just, at even this task now requires very close supervision and assistance. He had also almost completely lost the power of speech.

My mother who is also in her 70's, is buckling under the strain of caring for him at home. He has a basic package of home care in place which consists of help in the morning and evening to get Dad up /put him to bed and a small handful of hours through the week to allow mum to get out to shop etc.

My siblings and I do not live close enough to my parents to be in a position to give regular help and we are trying to help put in place sustainable long-term care for Dad.

My parents live in Mullingar, and my brother is in Dublin, my sister and I both live outside Ireland. Whilst I know my mother (who does not really want to even think about nursing home options) would probably prefer a care home as close to home as possible, I think it might be worthwhile considering other options outside the Mullingar area. My brother lives in the Rathfarnham area of Dublin and if there was a nursing home in Dublin which was relatively accessible from this part of town which catered for Dad's needs better than anywhere locally, this might be an option worth considering.

I appreciate there is huge variability in care homes, and that what works well for one individual may not be so suitable for another. The needs of a person with advanced PSP are comlex and I feel not all nursing homes will be suitable.

If anyone has advice to help direct me to care homes which might be suitable I would be immensely grateful. I'm guessing a realistic radius of ideally no more than one hour from Mullingar.

Look forward to hearing from anyone who can help. With sincere thanks. Rachel

[CathIreland]

Contact Caroline PSPA Association in Dublin she's the expert. I only spoke to her yesterday about these challenges as a lot of homes won't accept the complexities of caring for someone with PSP especially in advanced stage. Other option includes live in carer? They don't pay rent or bills it's a cheaper option and may work. Good luck. Caroline is brilliant, a fountain of knowledge.

[Toothfairy75 in reply to CathIreland]

Thank you so much Cath. This is really helpful. What is the best way to reach her and is she based on Ireland? Many thanks from Rachel

[CathIreland in reply to Toothfairy75]

Google PSPA Association Ireland and you'll find the website. Also FB page.

[CathIreland in reply to CathIreland]

pspaireland.ie/contact-us/