Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I organised a public meeting on dementia which was attended by approximately 150 people. It was a real eye-opener for me and those in attendance. Almost everyone present at the meeting had a loved one living with dementia or was coming to terms with its effects. The simple but strong message that every single person made to me was the wish to remain independent and live at home. Almost 48,000 people are living with dementia in Ireland and the majority of them do not want to go to hospitals. Rather, they want to live in their own homes and do not want to have to line up in our emergency departments.

We have been very fortunate to have had in Dún Laoghaire a Living Well With Dementia project in Stillorgan and Blackrock. It was headed by Eilis Hession and her professional team and was half-funded by the HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies. The project lasted for a number of years and raised awareness of dementia. More important, it also provided support for the person with dementia and his or her carer. This model is advocated by the Alzheimer Society and it helps people with dementia to remain in their homes for as long as possible.

Many cases of people who arrive into our emergency departments can be avoided through long-term planning and investment. We need to focus investment on community long-term care and give a renewed emphasis to implementing the national positive ageing strategy which was launched in 2013. I urge the Minister of State to prioritise making staying at home the first option for people living with dementia and the elderly.

I must also mention briefly the ongoing difficulties we have experienced with nursing registration. I raised this matter with the Minister of State several times, including at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, and I am pleased that steps have been taken, but more needs to be done. We cannot simply have a backlog of nurses caught in red tape when people are waiting on trolleys.

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