Family doctors and district nurses are beginning to see a rise in the number of frail elderly people who are not eating and drinking properly, following changes in the residential care system, broadcaster Nos says on Monday.

Many are not getting sufficient professional care or help from family and friends, doctors and nurses say. Some 320 doctors and 30 nurses answered the Nos survey.

Of the family doctors, 75% said home care services are insufficient, as did half the nurses. In addition to poor diet, many healthcare professionals also reported an increase in loneliness and deterioration in mental alertness among their patients.

The change is the result of new government policy which has limited access to residential homes to people requiring 24-hour care only. Instead, people must remain in their own homes with the help of home care specialists and family.

However, the doctors and nurses in the Nos survey say family members are often unable to provide the necessary help because they have too many other responsibilities or live too far away.

‘In an ideal world, the children would jump in and, if they are not around, a good neighbour,’ one nurse said. ‘But people who don’t have either are finding it tough going.’