Hector Georgiou
When V.'s father was diagnosed with psychosis and dementia, his family had nowhere else to turn. Unable to care for him at home and with no specialist residential facilities available, they placed him in an elderly care home, a situation experts say is becoming increasingly common in Cyprus.
His story highlights a growing gap in the country's care system, even as the government moves to nearly double financial support for low-income pensioners living in residential care. While the Cabinet recently approved an increase in the monthly subsidy from €745 to €1,300, concerns remain over whether elderly care homes are equipped to look after residents with complex mental health needs and whether inspections go far enough to ensure quality care.
The Cabinet recently approved a proposal by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare to improve the subsidy scheme for accommodation and care in elderly homes. The ministry said the changes are aimed at helping low-income pensioners and clarifying how the scheme will operate.
However, the issue extends well beyond financial assistance.
K has brought renewed attention to concerns over inspections at elderly care homes, as well as a significant gap in care for elderly people with mental illnesses who often end up living in facilities that are not designed to meet their needs.
Dimos Antoniou, president of the Cyprus Third Age Observatory, said proper inspections should prevent care homes from accepting residents whose needs they cannot adequately meet.
"If proper inspections were in place, these facilities should not be admitting such cases," Antoniou told K. "But there are no suitable structures to accommodate these people, so families are left with no other option."
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Clea Hadjistefanou Papaellina said the government's priority is prevention, early identification of problems, and the continuous improvement of living conditions for vulnerable people.
No specialist facilities
V. said his father now lives in an elderly care home not because of old age or mobility problems but because he was recently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and dementia. With no specialist long-term residential facilities available and no way to provide round-the-clock care while working, placing him in an elderly home became the family's only realistic option.
According to the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, the situation is far from unique. It confirmed to K that 31 elderly care homes across Cyprus currently accommodate people with mental illnesses.
Many of these facilities, however, lack the specialist staff, training, and infrastructure needed to care for residents with psychiatric conditions.
The situation raises broader questions about whether Cyprus needs dedicated residential facilities for elderly people with mental illnesses beyond Athalassa Hospital, which functions as a psychiatric hospital rather than a long-term care facility.
"We've seen many examples of people with psychiatric conditions ending up in elderly care homes," Antoniou said. "But this creates serious problems."
He pointed to an incident two years ago when a resident with a mental illness assaulted another elderly resident.
Well-informed sources who spoke to K also questioned the quality of inspections carried out at care homes.
A temporary solution
While Athalassa Hospital can temporarily accommodate people with psychiatric conditions, it is not designed for long-term residential care.
The hospital is already operating close to capacity, with increasing reports of overcrowding and poor conditions.
"There need to be proper facilities where treatment and supervision can continue after hospitalization," Antoniou said.
"Psychiatric cases are complex. They require dedicated structures and specialist staff."
Families left with few options
For many families, elderly care homes become the only alternative.
V. described the home where his father lives as generally satisfactory but said it offers only basic recreational activities and has occasional cleanliness issues.
He believes residents with psychiatric illnesses should have access to specialized activity programs and care tailored to their needs.
He also questioned the home's daily routine, saying residents are expected to go to bed as early as 7 p.m.
Asked whether Cyprus could establish specialist facilities for elderly psychiatric patients, Antoniou said it was no longer a question of possibility.
"The government needs to move forward with creating them because psychiatric cases are increasing year after year," he said.
Concerns over quality inspections
Sources who spoke to K argued that inspections currently focus largely on technical compliance rather than the overall quality of care.
"Checking whether a home has air conditioning or fire extinguishers is important," one source said. "But in 2026, that alone cannot be considered an adequate inspection."
Deputy Minister Hadjistefanou Papaellina said inspections remain a key tool for safeguarding the quality of services provided to elderly residents.
"Caring for and protecting older people is a measure of a society's civilization and social responsibility," she said, adding that the ministry continues to invest in improving social care services and ensuring dignified living conditions for every elderly person.
However, sources told K that although a framework for assessing service quality had previously been drafted, it was never implemented.
Concerns have also been raised over nutrition, with studies indicating that some residents report being undernourished because meals are not always available outside scheduled times or adapted to individual dietary habits.
Staffing is another issue. Some homes employ workers from third countries who do not speak Greek to the level required by law, while concerns have also been raised about staff training, respect for residents' religious beliefs, and the availability of meaningful recreational activities.
Antoniou said complaints about neglect and abuse have largely disappeared in recent years but acknowledged that important gaps remain.
Among them, he highlighted the shortage of properly trained staff, noting that some caregivers recruited from abroad speak neither Greek nor English and have not received adequate training in caring for vulnerable elderly people.
More than 1,000 inspections each year
The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare said more than 1,000 inspections are carried out annually at elderly and disability care homes.
Most inspections are unannounced and conducted monthly. Where violations or concerns are identified, follow-up inspections become more frequent, and other government agencies may also become involved.
According to the ministry, inspectors assess compliance with legislation, including staff qualifications, residents' medical monitoring, record-keeping, occupancy limits, required operating certificates, and whether there are enough caregivers and nurses for the number of residents.
Inspections also ensure residents receive medical examinations at least every two weeks and immediate medical treatment in emergencies.
The ministry added that all residents should also have access to recreational and group activities within the home.
Learning from abroad
Antoniou believes Cyprus could improve standards by following countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where government websites publish public ratings of care homes.
These evaluations include family satisfaction, recreational programs, nutrition, and the overall quality of services provided.
"As the Third Age Observatory, we proposed introducing public evaluations of care homes," Antoniou said.
"People should know what each home offers before making such an important decision."
Asked how Cyprus compares internationally, Antoniou said the country is neither among the best nor the worst.
"We're not significantly behind other countries. In fact, we're ahead of some," he said. "We're somewhere in the middle. But there is always room for improvement. At the end of the day, we're dealing with people."
