The Rise of Hidden Fees In Ireland.

Many care providers in Ireland are coming under fire after complaints that many of them are charging unnecessary hidden fees to clients, including fees for services such as activities that many are physically and mentally unable to participate in. This has called many to question the ethicality of these fees.

How would you feel if your loved one in senior care was charged for activities that they simply were unable to participate in? Or what if a loved one in home care was charged more simply for opting for cranberry juice instead of orange juice?

The reality is these are just two recent real scenarios that have been reported in Ireland in the past few months, which has led many in the country to question the necessity and ethicality of these hidden fees that many Irish care companies have been found to be charging their customers.

Report from SAGE

One group in Ireland that has been investigating these hidden fees is that of advocacy group SAGE. In one case, the group note the hidden fees charged to an elderly woman with dementia who lives in a care home.

She was charged €20 ($28) for activities that she was physically and mentally unable to participate in due to suffering from the later stages of dementia.

"Despite being unhappy with the 'activities' charge and a lack of clear information about what the charge actually covered, her family are reluctant to question it because of a fear that she would be asked to leave the nursing home," the Sage report said.

"In effect, this woman has been charged €20 per month over a period of more than 10 years (totalling €2,460 to date) for, as one relative put it, activities that she could not possibly participate in because of her significantly reduced mobility and advanced stage dementia."

Other questionable fees highlight by SAGE include customers being charged for clothing tags to identify laundry and also for in-house doctors, despite the fact that all people over the age of 70 in Ireland are entitled to free GP care.

Care homes In Ireland

Private care homes in Ireland are paid a fee by the state. This fee allows care homes to supply the basics to its customers, such as laundry and nursing care.

Private care homes are free to charge for any other additional services they provide outside of these basics, but any of these must be included in the contract.

The fact that many of these hidden fees are not being found in contracts is causing concern for groups like SAGE, as well as for the many elderly Irish living in these care homes.

UK Hidden Fees

Ireland is not the only country that has recently come under fire for hidden fees. Just last week, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority found that many UK care homes had been charging families rent after the death of a loved one in care.

These fees had been noted to last for "extended periods" of time, and are said to be in place to cover the costs until the room has been emptied of all personal belongings and can be given to a new person requiring care.

The Competition and Markets Authority is continuing to look into the issue and will publish its report in June.

If you or a loved one require home care assistance, contact the experienced team at Pure Home Care today. Get in touch now for your free needs assessment.

Purehomecare are dedicated to providing personal care for our clients whilst maintaining client dignity at all times.