Elderly ‘forced into nursing homes due to lack of home care’
ELDERLY people are being forced into nursing homes due to a lack of home care and other community supports, a new report reveals.
Older or disabled rural dwellers in particular are let down by social care services and poor public transport, leaving them with no option but to leave their homes.
Their plight is revealed in a damning report to the Department of Health by the Citizens Information Board.
The report notes that “the absence of appropriate supports in the community sometimes result in people having to go to nursing homes or other residential care facilities”. The number of people on a waiting list for home help hours and home care packages has nearly doubled in two years – rising from 2,811 to 5,232.
Justin Moran, of Age Action, said: “Home care in Ireland is in crisis. Waiting lists are growing and older people are forced into nursing homes because they are not being supported to live at home.”
ELDERLY people are being forced into nursing homes due to a lack of home care and other community supports, a new report reveals.
Older or disabled rural dwellers in particular are let down by social care services and poor public transport, leaving them with no option but to leave their homes.
Their plight is revealed in a report to the Department of Health by the Citizens Information Board offices that deal at first hand with people struggling to access services.
Although lack of home help is a serious issue in urban centres, it is even more acute in rural areas, highlighting another divide as older people, who may need only a basic level of service, are left behind due to lack of transport and distance from hospitals.
The report said 8pc of its queries referred to health service matters, with a proportion relating to difficulties in accessing appropriate home care supports in a timely manner.
“Some of the queries from the public refer to the struggles older people encounter when they are transitioning from hospital to home, and highlight the fact that the absence of appropriate supports in the community sometimes result in people having to go to nursing homes or other residential care facilities,” it notes.
It comes as new figures from the HSE show the number of home help hours delivered last year fell from 10.5 million hours in 2016 to 10.3 million.
The figures, obtained by Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher, show some areas particularly hit by a drop in the vital services including Meath, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Waterford, south Tipperary, north Tipperary and east Limerick, as well as Clare, Galway and Donegal.
The Citizens Information Board’s report was delivered as part of the public consultation on proposals to establish a statutory scheme giving eligible people a right to a minimum level of home support.
The number of people on a waiting list for home help hours and home care packages has nearly doubled in nearly two years – rising from 2,811 to 5,232.
It pointed out many people encounter difficulties in accessing social and health services because the poor availability of public transport and failures by several agencies can combine to put obstacles in the way of the vulnerable.
It highlighted the effects of social isolation on older people in rural areas, and said currently many held a free travel pass but did not have access to any suitable public transport in their area.
Crisis
“Often the only alternative is a taxi service which can be expensive for someone living on the State pension,” the report notes. “This lack of accessible and affordable transportation may lead to further social isolation, worsening health conditions if they cannot get to hospital appointments, and in some cases result in people having to move into nursing home care,” it added.
The difficulties are compounded by other obstacles, including trying to get adaptations to a person’s home to make it accessible and safe for them.
“The grants are means-tested and funded from each local authority budget, which means that funding can run out so a person may have to wait until the local authority’s budget is allocated for the next year to access the grant,” the report says.
Justin Moran (inset), of Age Action Ireland, said: “Home care in Ireland is in crisis.
“Waiting lists are growing and older people are forced into nursing homes because they are not being supported to live at home.”
‘Home care in Ireland is in crisis. Older people are being forced into nursing homes’