The Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an inquiry into the case of the nursing home in Lourinhã, after reports of mistreatment were reported on Sunday, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) confirmed this Tuesday to PÚBLICO.
On Monday, the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, had already announced an urgent inspection of the Delicado Raminho nursing home, in Lourinhã.
Questioned by journalists about the information disclosed by former employees of the home, that they received prior notice of Social Security visits, Ana Mendes Godinho stated that inspection visits “are never announced, nor should they be announced, precisely to detect situations that are flagged”.
Ana Mendes Godinho also appealed for the social security to be reported in all cases that people deem to need supervision.
During the afternoon of Monday, Rádio Renascença revealed that two Social Security inspectors had been at the premises to verify the conditions of assistance to around 60 users of the institution.
A report by SIC on Sunday night denounced mistreatment of elderly people at the Delicado Raminho home. According to a former employee, at stake are the use of the same gloves for several users, the existence of wounds to be treated, poor food and made with leftovers from previous days and lack of hot water for bathing users.
“The bedridden person eats everything past. Breakfast is porridge made with wheat flour, sweetener and water. Lunch is made with the rest of dinner, with the soup from the previous day’s dinner crushed with bread, with water”, refers to one of these reports. Users’ clothes will be washed without detergent, keeping the smell of feces and urine in them.
According to the information disclosed, Delicado Raminho is a private home, has an operating license and can receive up to 78 users, currently having around 60. Each one pays, on average, 1500 euros per month.