ΙΙΙ. Summary of the Mechanism’s most important reports and activities (A) Visits to Homes for the Elderly Some (isolated) incidents of death of people living in Homes for the Elderly as well as complaints received, from time to time, by my Office about the degrading treatment of elderly people living in homes for the elderly gave rise to the visits carried out during the period between May and September. The visits to the said homes were deemed necessary because of their limited visibility which makes people living there particularly vulnerable to human rights violations, but also because of the particular characteristics of these people, many of which have limited mobility, reduced perception and reflexes. As part of our duties as the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, visits were carried out by our Officers to nine homes for the elderly in the Districts of Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaka. The visits revealed the following: - absence of a formal procedure of admission/consent of the elderly; - the need for a more in-depth initial, iterative and specific training of people working at these homes; absence of personalised care plans; - use of physical restraint measures; inadequate state supervision; the need to upgrade/renovate the facilities; incomplete keeping of records and personal files of tenants; accommodation of mentally ill patients; lack of creative activities for tenants. 9