Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask the Minister for Health why the HSE is advising elderly people to access the fair deal scheme and enter nursing homes instead of giving them funding for a few more hours of home help.

It appears there is no funding for home-help services and the advice being given is that people should access nursing homes. I am asking the Minister and the Taoiseach to allow the HSE discretion in dealing with elderly people, the fair deal scheme and home-help services. There should be discretion in having the funding for the fair deal scheme used for extra home-help hours rather than insisting that elderly people go into nursing homes. Flexibility should be given to the HSE to use the money as it sees fit for home help as well as the fair deal scheme.

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