The Health Information and Quality Authority has identified several shortcomings during recent inspections of nursing homes in Offaly, Mayo, Cork and Tipperary.
Eliza Lodge Nursing Home in Banagher has been criticised by the HIQA for its care of those suffering from dementia.
The home had 48 residents in its care, with 13 having dementia, when HIQA made an unannounced inspection last February.
There is no specific dementia unit at the nursing home.
Even though staffing levels were appropriate, the health watchdog said that all staff did not have access to appropriate training in dementia, moving and handling and fire safety.
Staff engagement with residents who had dementia, especially those with sensory deficits, was also criticised.
The inspection also found that the centre had out-of-date policies to deal with prevention, detection and response to abuse and staff did not have mandatory training to deal with these issues.
HIQA highlighted that care plans were not comprehensive to address the residents' social, emotional and psychological needs.
The layout of the centre did also not meet the needs of dementia residents.
The home was also found to have no annual review of the quality and safety of care delivered to residents in the designated centre to ensure that such care is in accordance with the relevant standards set by the Authority.
Meanwhile, a HIQA inspection of a nursing home in Ballinrobe in Co Mayo found non-compliance with complaints procedures.
Friars Lodge Nursing Home was criticised for having no evidence that complaints were appropriately dealt with.
It said reports did not have sufficient information to show when the complaint was made and the outcome of an investigation.
Staffing levels at the home were also criticised as was residents not being supervised in the sitting rooms.
At the time of the inspection there were 62 residents living in the centre, 25 of whom were of maximum dependency and ten of high dependency.
In Co Cork, an unannounced inspection of Cramers Court Nursing Home found four instances of major-non compliance.
"The governance structure did not comply with a management plan submitted by the provider nominee prior to registration renewal in September 2014," the report stated.
HIQA said a general manager who was appointed had left after nine months and "there were no immediate plans to find a replacement".
The person in charge was also providing clinical care as there insufficient nurses available to meet the needs of the roster.
Another HIQA report also criticised a nursing home in Thurles in Co Tipperary over not providing adequate privacy and dignity to residents.
Run by the Health Service Executive, the Community Hospital of the Assumption's design and layout did not support all residents' privacy and dignity in relation to use of space for personal hygiene, information and communications of a private nature or personal recreation.
