"Hundreds of people rescued from the River Shannon - greater resources needed for those with mental illness and suicidal ideation" - Cllr Sarah Beasley
Gardai in Limerick City were called to hundreds of incidents over the past five years involving persons entering or seeking to enter the River Shannon.
Almost 500 people were rescued by Gardai according to Aontú Cllr Sarah Beasley who says the figures, released to her party by the Minister for Justice under a Parliamentary Question, show the depth of anguish and despair that people are experiencing and point to the need for much greater Government resources to help people suffering with mental health issues.
Cllr Beasley says
“Mental health is a huge problem in Limerick City. We have an over reliance on the voluntary sector who are doing an inordinate amount of work and without them, people would be lost. More resources need to be pumped into services to help people living with mental illness and isolation”.
“Loneliness and isolation is a growing problem; a recent report ranked Ireland as the loneliest country in Europe, 20% of people reported they felt lonely most or all of the time, the highest level in the EU where the average is 13% ‘; WHO (World Health Organisation) has declared loneliness to be a ‘global public health threat’. It cuts across all sectors of our community with both young and old at serious risk”.
“I firmly believe that the twin crises of spiralling housing prices and cost of living expenses are having a terrible effect on people’s mental health. They have no hope, and they are caught in a cycle of despair, they literally can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. A house is so much more than a roof over one’s head; it is a sanctuary, a place of belonging and without it people feel adrift and disconnected”.
“There are 2 River side rescues in Limerick City both do absolutely Trojan work. Aontú invited Limerick Treaty suicide prevention team to make a presentation to TDs and Senators to outline their need for a permanent base by the river. To date they still have no permanent base. This is a terrible shame as they are literally a lifeline for people . Everyone in Limerick dreads to hear the helicopter in the sky as it usually means a poor desperate person has entered the river”.
