The family of a vulnerable resident who appeared in last week's RTÉ Investigates undercover documentary into standards of care at facilities run by Ireland's largest provider of private nursing homes have called for accountability for their father and other residents affected by the scandal.
In an interview to be broadcast on Prime Time tonight, the Guy family from Dublin have described their shock and distress at seeing footage of their 80-year-old father Audeon being roughly handled at the Beneavin Manor nursing home in Glasnevin.
"No one should have to go through what we’ve seen," Paul Guy told RTÉ Investigates.
"No one should be handled like our father was. These are human people - people who lost their dignity and no one should have to go through that," he said.
The documentary, which featured two nursing homes - Beneavin Manor and The Residence Portlaoise – are both run by the for-profit company Emeis Ireland.
Undercover footage gathered by two RTÉ healthcare assistants found a litany of repeated care failings, including chronic staff shortages, vulnerable residents left unsupervised, the inappropriate handling of frail older people and a lack of basic supplies such as towels, bedsheets, gloves and sanitary wipes.
"Our dad is the loveliest man - the nicest friend, neighbour and best dad in the whole world," said Audeon's daughter, Sarah Guy.
"He’d do anything for you, really kind, loving, charitable and a big hugger," she said.
Following a bad fall late last year, Audeon was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, which causes severe confusion and hallucinations.
Read more:
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Unable to return home, Paul, Sarah and their other siblings, Kassandra and Dave, began the search for a suitable nursing home for their father.
They turned to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for guidance and spent days sifting through the regulator's nursing home inspection reports.
"I think there were 17 nursing homes we applied for, and we went through all the HIQA reports for every nursing home," Paul said.
"For Beneavin Manor, we read the reports, and it seemed to be a very safe place to go. We looked at the brochures, I went and did the tour. It seemed to be fine," he said.
The most recent publicly available HIQA inspection report for Beneavin Manor dates from November 2024.
It references residents being very happy, with the inspectors finding the centre was well managed and that the quality and safety of the services provided were of a good standard.
In all, HIQA found the nursing home largely compliant.
Reassured, the Guy family made their choice and their father Audeon moved into Beneavin Manor in January 2025, where he was assigned one-to-one care.
But before long they started to have concerns.
"He was actually left alone many times," Paul explained.
"I have examples of him sitting on his own in the corridor ripping up pieces of paper which was meant to be some form of activity.
"I’ve witnessed him cold with a blanket wrapped around him and I've witnessed really poor personal care in terms of his toenails left for weeks to grow and rot.
"On another day there was urine all over the floor in his bathroom and there was no toilet seat. It just seemed to be a consistent flow of poor care for people who are in dire need of attention," Paul said.
Worried about what they were seeing, Paul and his siblings started to make complaints to management at the nursing home.
Their emails referenced concerns about a general lack of carers and residents being left alone.
The family had also seen residents who wanted to use the toilet being left unattended for lengthy periods of time, while they were worried their father had on occasion been inappropriately handled and sometimes did not have enough clothes because his laundry had not been done.
In early March 2025, their detailed complaint was upheld with management at Beneavin Manor assuring the family corrective actions had been put in place to address their concerns.
Yet three weeks later, RTÉ’s undercover carer captured disturbing footage including their father.
In the scene, Audeon is directed along a corridor at pace to his bedroom by two carers to change his incontinence pad.
The carers steered his walking frame while one held the waist of his trousers.
Confused, Audeon lashed out before being forced into his room, his trousers pulled down and pushed into an armchair.
"When I saw the actual footage, I was shocked, but it wasn’t a revelation," Paul said.
"That's what is unfortunate. We had done everything. We put in all the complaints, notified everyone that was required, got responses back, acknowledgement of all their mistakes, plans being put in place, and this still happened, and it happened to all the other people in the footage as well.
"That’s the bigger issue - there’s no accountability for this," he said.
In the wake of last week’s RTÉ Investigates documentary, Emeis Ireland apologised to the Guy family, saying the standard of care depicted in the footage was unacceptable.
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Among the actions the family was assured have now been taken to immediately safeguard their father is a full investigation into staff practice and additional management supervision, training and staff.
RTÉ Investigates asked Emeis Ireland about the Guy family’s concerns - the company said it could not comment on individual cases or families.
As Paul and his siblings now begin the search for alternative care for their beloved father Audeon, they say the Government must move urgently to enact the Adult Safeguarding Bill - a vital law which could protect vulnerable individuals like their father from harm, abuse and neglect.
"It’s been sitting with Government for ages - we need to push this through," Paul added.
Sarah Guy knows her father would "hate all this attention" but she says they are talking out because Audeon is the type of person who taught them always to do the right thing.
"We hope this brings some positive results and awareness to all that's happened to make sure our dad or anyone's loved one never has to go through this ever again," he said.
In a full circle moment, the family now find themselves once again looking through HIQA inspection reports for a new nursing home.
But this time, they say, that task has been made even more difficult having lost faith in a regulatory system that should have protected their vulnerable father.
"Who do we trust?" Paul asks.
"I want to be assured that the HIQA reports actually substantiate what they’re saying but at the moment I don’t believe them so who do I trust? Where’s the best place for our dad to go?"
Separately, Minister for Older People Kieran O'Donnell will meet the representative bodies of the private nursing homes sector.
He is also expected to provide an update on actions undertaken by the Department of Health and the HSE in recent days, including an interim report due to be delivered by HIQA by the end of the week regarding its review of all nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland across the country.
RTÉ Investigates: Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes can be watched on the RTÉ Player. Documentary produced/directed by Lucy Kennedy.
