Elderly left with no cover
OUR older citizens are being left with not enough home care support at weekends, forcing many into costly and unwanted long term care.
That’s according to Fianna Fáil Cllr Seamus Kilgannon who secured the backing of his colleagues to write to the Minister for Health Simon Harris about the “grossly inadequate funding of home care support” for older people.
He said that while it was a good system, the fact that it was “grossly under-resourced” was forcing people capable of living at home into nursing homes.
“This scheme is one of the most cost-effective schemes to date but many older people have no cover at weekends or Bank holidays. It’s a very, very economic way of keeping people in their own homes,” he said.
He was supported by party colleague Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady who said it was a “sad development” that over 500 people in Sligo were waiting for home care services.
“In the past there was a package that families could buy in support but this is gone too. If you were to ask any older person where they would like to be they would say ‘ home’ first,” she said.
“A nursing home never matches the comfort of their own home and community,” she said.
“I think we have taken a huge retrograde step in the provision of services for older people in the last few years. It takes funding from central government, that’s the bottom line,” she added.
Cllr Hubert Keaney welcomed the fact that the HSE had hired over 50 people in home care services, some of whom were starting that very day.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Baker said he knew of children of older people who had to pay extra for carers to stay overnight in homes because they were worried their frail parents would fall during the night.
“The HSE is going to have to look at things differently,” he said.
Cllr Baker also said carers were under time pressure to help get older people up and out in 30 minutes and then race to another client’s home in ten minutes which was “rush, rush, rush.”
He was backed up by Cllr O’Grady who said it was “impossible to deliver any kind of service” in that short time frame.
“These people will be working Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day. They won’t be on holidays. When the rest of us are off, they’re on front line duty,” she said.
Members unanimously agreed to write to Minster Harris about the home care funding.