Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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For somebody living at home who is ageing and starting to develop different health issues, the first port of call in the context of receiving home is the public health nurse. If the person involved is not in hospital, the public health nurse will carry out an assessment. They will then make an application in respect of what they believe are the relevant care needs of that person. That is the first step on the road. People often tell me about cases of family members who are getting home care, for example, for half and hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, that the health of the person involved has declined. In such cases, people can ask public health nurses to carry out reassessments. That has happened. Especially for people living with dementia whose symptoms worsen, reassessments can be sought and more home care hours can be secured. That is how it works in the community. If someone is being discharged from hospital, there is always a planned meeting put in place with the next of kin, the family, the public health nurse, the GP and the team that has been looking after the person in order to determine the correct pathway. That is where the ICPOP team can be involved as well.