Sir, – There will always be a small number of people who suffer from mental-health issues that require high levels of care during their lives. Often a family isn’t equipped to offer that care.
While the huge State psychiatric hospitals are a thing of the past, and rightly so, perhaps some of the good aspects of them were not satisfactorily replaced. Such things as space to roam, regular meals, accommodation, routine, activities, warmth and 24-hour professional care. We have as a society an obligation to care for vulnerable people. Perhaps we need to structure our services to ensure that places of refuge and safety are available to those who need them. – Yours, etc,
MARY BARRETT,
Raheny,
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Dublin 5.