Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As of 2015, more than 500,000 people aged over 65 are living in Ireland. In the next 30 years this figure will double. It is vital that the current Government prepare for our ageing population. It has been Government policy since 1960 to support older people to stay at home for as long as possible. However, a recent report carried out by Age Action, the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland and UCD, Meeting Older People's Preference for Care, found that acute hospitals and nursing homes are being prioritised over the kinds of community services that enable older people to remain in their homes.

The report estimates that half of the older people spoken to in long-term residential care could live at home. The number of people in nursing homes in Ireland is 35% greater than the EU average. The report also states that community supports are disorganised, fragmented and underfunded. It found that across all areas, the home help service available was minimal and ranged from less than an hour to a maximum of five hours a week, usually between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The current programme for a partnership Government promises increased State support for the elderly and aims to keep older people independent and active while living in their communities. It promises to improve supports and services for older people to enable them to live independently in their homes. It aims to increase home care packages and home help hours every year. In sharp contrast to these promises, the HSE said on 24 May 2016 that funds are now being rationed and more people will wait longer for home supports. This is due to overspending on home help and home care packages in the first quarter of the year in order to free up beds and ease the pressure on hospital emergency departments.

There is an added fear that home help will be privatised. I ask the Taoiseach to confirm whether this is the case. I strongly disagree with privatisation on the grounds that it is a business, rather than a care, model. In other countries, such as Sweden, the privatisation of home help was found to have a negative impact on the standard of care provided, as the need for profit prevailed.

The current programme promises additional funding for the nursing home support scheme in order to keep the waiting period for the fair deal scheme at approximately four weeks. However, new figures from Nursing Homes Ireland revealed that waiting times for nursing home funding have doubled over the past three months. Long waiting times can leave families struggling with a bill of €15,000 before any funding is received. This is completely unacceptable. If waiting lists are not dealt with, I urge the Taoiseach to backdate payments for care from when an application was received until when it was approved.

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