Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

Community supports are vital in order to maintain older people in their own homes for as long as possible. Long-stay nursing care should only be a last option in care planning for older people, with the community supports acting as a real support for older people who wish to live in dignity and independence in their own communities. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that older people would prefer to remain living at home rather than going into long-stay care. The Government is committed to developing the various community and home support schemes.

Since my appointment as Minister of State, I have encouraged service providers to introduce personal care packages and home subvention for older people as an alternative to long-stay residential care. Personal care packages, PCPs, are specifically tailored to meet individual needs and could include the provision of a homehelp service, home subvention payments, arrangements for attendance at a day centre or day hospital and other services such as twilight nursing. PCPs allow older people the option to remain living in their own home rather than go into long-stay residential care.

An example of personal care packages is the Home First scheme. This scheme, which I launched, is being piloted in the Northern Area Health Board area. This service is targeted at older people to help support the transition from acute hospital care to living at home. High levels of support are provided to the individual for the particular period such support is needed including, if necessary, assistive technology.

A home care grant project is also being piloted in the East Coast and Northern Area Health Board areas and these pilot schemes are currently being evaluated by Trinity College Dublin on behalf of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The Slán Abhaile project in the East Coast Area Health Board, which I formally launched in early November, is being undertaken by the board in partnership with the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, and St. Vincent's Hospital.

Members have raised the issue of abolishing the carer's allowance means test. A means test is applied to all social assistance schemes. Its purpose is to ensure that resources are focused on those in greatest need. The carer's allowance means test has been eased significantly in the past few years. Most recently, my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Coughlan, made provision in budget 2004 for substantial increases in the means disregard. From next April the weekly income disregards will increase to €250 for a single carer and to €500 for a couple. The effect of this increase is that a couple with two children, earning a joint income of up to €29,328 can qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance. The same couple, with an income of up to €46,384, could still qualify for partial carer's allowance, the free schemes and the respite care grant.

Members are aware that I set up and chair an interdepartmental group on the needs of older people. The group's brief is to examine, on an interdepartmental basis, a range of issues that impact on the lives of older people. Its goal is to bring a positive influence to bear on the various services provided to older people. Issues warranting the particular attention of the group include housing matters and the various home improvement schemes, the information-gathering process with regard to older people and the demands placed on them by that process, the consolidation and simplification of application forms, the security of the elderly, and equality matters for older people — this incorporates the recommendations of the Equality Authority report, entitled Implementing Equality for Older People.

One of the areas which warranted immediate attention was housing and housing grants. The interdepartmental group requested the Northern Area Health Board and the North Western Health Board to carry out a pilot scheme on the streamlining of the disabled persons grant and the essential repairs grant. The group is awaiting the pilot scheme results.

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