Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

People are living longer. Deputy O'Dowd is lucky because Louth and Meath are on the map but Carlow is not. I am concerned about that. In my county, we have the Carlow Older Persons Forum and an older persons' council, both of which come under the age-friendly banner. The biggest issue they face is funding. The witnesses will be aware of the Leader programme and public participation networks, PPNs. There should be funding for all bodies under the age-friendly banner.

It is a massive issue. From speaking with the different groups I meet regularly, I am aware that funding is the biggest issue.

It is crucial to go back to grants for elderly people, in particular because it was changed from 60 to 65 without anybody knowing. It just came into local authorities. I was a councillor for 18 years and I always dealt with housing aid for the elderly, adaptation grants and other grants. The age measure has been detrimental to elderly people. Many people with whom I deal are in their early 60s but have had a stroke or some other thing has happened. However, they are not qualifying for these grants. As such, the first thing to address going forward is the age at which grants are applicable. It is not acceptable to set the age at 66 years. However, the issue with the grants themselves relates also to timescales and waiting periods for assessments. There are massive issues even with handrails and stair lifts or seats for shower units. One goes to the local authority and back to the health board and one waits. I ask for the different groups represented here to engage in joined-up thinking through the health service, local authorities and the other groups to highlight this because it is not happening.

I acknowledge that the witnesses' bodies are trying to put a programme in place, but if one takes windows and doors, that is nearly gone. I was always told that if one applied for windows and doors under the older persons forum, which is the only way to get the grant, it had to be on health and safety grounds. If there was only a top opening, one would qualify. However, that does not even happen now. They are not passing it. The funding is not there. Do the witnesses meet with the Government on a regular basis? Much of the funding has been taken away from the health boards through the local authorities. What meetings do witnesses have with the Government and what sort of joined up thinking takes place? What is going to happen? I take the simple example of a ramp or a car parking space. I am finding that even a parking space for an elderly person outside his or her house is becoming an issue with local authorities. It is a big thing for an elderly person or a person who uses a wheelchair to have a designated parking space so that he or she can get near his or her home. These are simple things but they are massive issues.

Local authorities are also falling down in the area of building houses for elderly people. Every year, a certain number of houses should be built for elderly people, but it is not happening. We are lucky if we get a few bungalows every year which should be given to the elderly. It is not happening because there is so much demand. People who have had cancer or who use a wheelchair must be considered, which is right. One then has older people who were waiting for a house but cannot get it. A massive survey should be carried out on elderly people who may be living a few miles from a town in a larger three or four-bedroom house. We need to look at downsizing and to establish what can be made available for people to downsize to smaller houses with access to towns, doctors, shops and libraries.

What is the remit of the witnesses' groups going forward? While it is welcome that there are different groups, what programme do they have together to work through the health service? The biggest issue I see for elderly people currently relates to hospital appointments, whether that is for a check-up or day-patient appointment. There are almost 800 people in Carlow-Kilkenny waiting to get into Kilkenny hospital for a day appointment or a small procedure. There is a huge waiting list in relation to cataract procedures. These are hugely important matters for elderly people but we are not dealing with them. Can one of the witnesses fill me in as to how Carlow has been forgotten, which is a massive issue for me as a Carlow Senator? What is proposed in relation to funding and working with different bodies? I thank the witnesses. While the points they have made are crucial, there are massive issues for the elderly which we need to address.