Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

The Deputy should be aware that we have set aside a substantial sum of money, €28 million, in order to ensure that a programme relating to frail elderly people will be put in place. Such individuals are those who will require respite care when they come out of hospital and also access to physiotherapy services. They will also require to be assessed and it is important that assessments in respect of long-stay care patients be performed outside the hospital setting and in more familiar surroundings. In the past, such assessments were carried out in surroundings with which older people were not familiar and, as a result, they became quite confused. Half of the 40% of people who are in long-stay care settings and who do not need to be there could be accounted for in this way. We are definitely considering other ways of operating.

Not everything relates to long-stay care. However, I wish to reassure those who require such care that the necessary funds are available. I also wish to reassure those who will need a different type of care, namely, that which will facilitate them in the context of transitioning back into their own communities, that the relevant service will be available within the next few weeks. That is a good thing. This is a different way of operating and I know the Deputy will agree with me in this regard.

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