Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being in the Chamber to take this Topical Issue matter. I know and understand only too well the needs of older people in our families and communities. As I said last night, our senior citizens have been the backbone of our communities and they deserve our support when they get older. Therefore, I wish to highlight the issue of home help and the need to support further the services in our communities. There is considerable demand for these services throughout the country in every village and town. At present, the services are under great strain. While many of our senior citizens are healthy and able-bodied, some need a little help to get through the day, wash, feed, go to the shops and other small chores. Some have more acute needs but they deserve to be able to live at home, if they so choose, with the support of their local health team and home help services to be near family, friends and neighbours.

Home help is not only about sitting down and having a cup of tea, although that part is sometimes as important as any other part. It is also about enabling elderly people to keep their independence and live in dignity at home for as long as they can. I recognise the value of home help and home carers who can be a lifeline to many elderly people. However, in some areas people are being told that no more hours are available. In my area around Inchicore and Ballyfermot, home help service is at a standstill. Currently, a total of 90 people are on the waiting list and it cannot accommodate anyone else. What happens to these people? Many of them end up back in hospital and that is not really necessary. They would be better off staying at home with a small number of hours of home help.

I have also encountered a problem involving one of my constituents. A private company has been contracted to provide the service to the HSE. The company often sends a different staff member every day. This can be upsetting for an older person who may be unfamiliar with the staff member. The staff member may not be a familiar face or someone the elderly person believes she can trust. This lady has half an hour to get up in the morning, get washed, dressed and fed. The lady in question is rather infirm at the moment.

I realise the Government is aware of the needs of older people and I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister for Health on the work they have been doing. I acknowledge the services provided by the HSE as well. At present, more than 10 million hours of home help services are being provided through the support of 50,000 people. However, we need to invest in home help services to help take the pressure off our hospitals and long-term care services.

Although their hours have been cut, our home help workers continue to meet people in the evenings and go back to ensure the people they work with are all right. Many of the home help people I know personally have started to use money out of their own pocket to upskill themselves and improve the way they care for older people. Many older people want to say at home for as long as they can. Often they are afraid of going into hospital or nursing homes. That is where the home help service can really be a lifeline and take the pressure off all our front-line services.

I wish to make another point about the fair deal scheme. There is great demand for places, especially in the greater Dublin area. I know one group of family members who recently contacted 27 nursing homes on behalf of their elderly mother but only three of the homes would put the person on the waiting list. This situation is urgent and needs to be addressed.

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