Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Watt and his team for coming in here today. I thank the members for trying to get retribution and proper and fair compensation for the people who were wronged. That is very important. However, we cannot lose sight or focus of what is happening or not happening today with the care of the elderly. Private and public nursing homes are doing considerable work and operating great places for elderly people, but not all elderly people wish to go into these places. I will always remember the words of one elderly person who was close to me that said going into a nursing home or a long-stay place in a hospital was like going in to a departure lounge. The person dearly wished to stay in their own homes as long as he or she could.

I do not know whether Mr. Watt is aware that in Kerry, especially the Killarney and Castleisland areas, there is a desperate problem trying to source home help. The home help workers we have are doing Trojan work. They are limited in the amount of time that they can give, but they do great work. It is a pity. This problem has manifested since last June and it has been almost 12 months. People are allocated home help, but nobody comes. They do not have the personnel or the people to come. I am asking the Department to address the issue. It is a very serious issue in the Killarney and Castleisland areas, in particular.

One of the biggest problems for me in my role as a representative and my office is that we are inundated with calls from people who just wish to get a bit more home help. I know of one man who is only getting a half an hour per day for five days. He fell out of his bed last Saturday night. His wrist was bleeding and it was only that some neighbour, who he rang on the phone at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., was able to help. It is terrible. This man dearly wants to stay in his home as long as he can. This is not good enough.

I remember a time when there was a flood here in Dublin. The Taoiseach of the day got wellingtons somewhere and went out to visit the people who were affected by the flooding. I am asking the Department to place the same focus and attention on these poor people. We, as a nation, are not treating properly the mothers who carried their children before they were born, reared them and did everything for them, and fathers who served their families well and did everything for them. Surely, it makes sense to keep people in their homes for as long as possible. It has to be less expensive to keep people in their own homes and to help families. Does Mr. Watt agree with me that it would be advantageous and less expensive for the HSE to deliver more care at home?