More disabled die in care than move into a new home
MORE people with disabilities died while living in residential care last year than were moved into new homes, according to a new HSE report.
The report also confirms targets laid out in 2011 for closing these controversial institutions by 2019 will not be met. One leading advocate has now warned residents are more likely to die in the centres than to move to a new home.
In 2011 a report recommended people with disabilities be moved from institutions into supported independent living. The ‘de-congregation’ policy was meant to take place between 2012 and 2019.
However a progress report by the HSE highlighted severe challenges. There are now 2,756 people with disabilities living in large settings. Last year just 74 residents of such settings moved to smaller units, but 96 people died while in care during the same period.
This follows a similar pattern the year before with 121 individuals dying and 123 moving to homes in the community. Meanwhile, 75 people were moved into these institutions.
However, some families say that the policy is simply not suitable for their loved ones. Laura Fitzpatrick’s brother Bernard Fitzpatrick suffered catastrophic brain injuries when he was born 41 years ago. Unable to walk or talk, he lives at St Mary of the Angels centre in Co. Kerry, taking regular breaks to stay with his sister.
She said: We’re not against community living for people who will benefit but this [policy] doesn’t benefit everyone. There is a small percentage of people who can’t live in the wider community due to their needs.’
Paddy Connolly, head of Inclusion Ireland, said: ‘There is a higher likelihood of your life passing in these institutions than getting to live in a more appropriate setting.’ He cited ‘poor handling by the HSE’ as a factor in the slow implementation of the policy.
‘It undermines confidence, and adds to the resistance from some areas,’ he said. ‘These adults have a right to the quality of life which the rest of us take for granted.’
The 2016 programme for government revised the original deadline of closing all largescale centres by 2019. It set a new target of reducing the numbers living in such institutions by one third by 2021.
Last year €20m in capital funding was made available to build new homes, with 33 built. In three HSE regions, just one house was built. The Cork/Kerry region received €6,091,953 in funding and built eight houses. In Donegal €1.75m built seven houses.
The HSE report says services are often outbid when trying to buy property, and some sellers refuse to sell to disability services. The HSE’s Deirdre Scully described the pace of change as ‘slow’, but said the programme is ‘gathering momentum, even with families’.
She confirmed the number of deaths, saying: ‘There are a large number of centres with a lot of elderly residents’.
Just 74 moved to smaller scale homes ‘Right to the quality of life the rest of us have’
niamh.griffin@mailonsunday.ie