Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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There is a need for residential step-down facilities, which would be far less expensive than full acute care. I can talk to the witnesses about that later.

There are over 30,000 people in nursing homes and an average of 70% of these have dementia. Given the significant relationship between dementia and psychiatric co-morbidity - if that is the right phrase to use - and considering that thousands of people living in nursing homes have lost contact with their relatives and communities in a significant way, what interaction do the psychiatric services have with nursing homes generally as a result of Covid? Is there any formal relationship? How do the services react? What proposals do the witnesses have in this respect?