In Short

A round-up of today's other home news in brief

A round-up of today's other home news in brief

Man arrested in connection with murder of Kenneth Fetherston

Gardaí in Dublin have arrested a man in connection with their investigation into the murder of a man whose skeletal remains were found earlier this year.

Kenneth Fetherston, who was 26, was last seen on September 22nd, 2009, at Landy’s industrial estate on the Knocklyon Road in Dublin. His remains were found in a ditch at Military Road, Rathfarnham, on January 31st last.

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Gardaí said they arrested a 26-year-old man in Rathfarnham yesterday morning in connection with the investigation.

He was being detained at Tallaght Garda station under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939.

Woman died after nursing home fall

An elderly woman died after suffering a fall at a nursing home when she was left unattended on a commode while a nurse went to fetch her a glass of water, an inquest heard yesterday, writes Georgina O'Halloran.

Monica Hickey (88), Leeson Park Nursing Home, Leeson Park, Dublin 6, fell and fractured her right hip at the home on the morning of February 20th, 2010, Dublin City Coroner's Court was told. Staff nurse Carlos Bernardez said he assisted Mrs Hickey to the commode and left her seated there while he went to get her a glass for some water. He heard "a bang" and Mrs Hickey call out. He went to her assistance and saw her leg was externally rotated and she was in extreme pain. He applied ice to the area and she was taken to St Vincent's Hospital but died the following day. Coroner Dr Brian Farrell recorded a verdict of accidental death due to the fall at the home.

Concern over Cobh hospital future

Concern has been raised about the future viability of Cobh Community Hospital in Co Cork.

The hospital provides long-term care to more than 30 elderly people in Cobh and serves a population of about 20,000 people.

It is under threat because of a 25 per cent cut in funding under the Government's nursing homes support scheme, which is administered by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Focus on rate of farm fatalities

The spiralling rate of deaths on Irish farms will be the focus of attention tomorrow at the National Farm Safety Conference in Athy, Co Kildare.

Seventeen people have lost their lives in incidents on farms since the beginning of the year compared with 11 for the whole of last year.

The death toll has taken farm fatalities to over 50 per cent of all workplace fatalities in the State so far this year.