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

On the health of our elderly people, the lack of home help is still a serious problem in Kerry. I know it is an ambition of everyone in this Chamber to ensure that each old person is helped to stay in his or her own home as long as possible. However, we do not have enough home help hours for patients or the elderly in our county. At weekends and on Saturdays and Sundays, it is impossible to get cover. There is no cover for bank holidays. When designated home help people go on holidays, as they are entitled to, or get sick themselves, it is now happening that the old people they assist are left without any home help for two weeks at a time. We have a Minister and four Ministers of State in the Department of Health. I ask them to ensure that more home helps are hired in Kerry and that more hours are given to elderly people who wish to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. It will save the country and the State a lot of money if they do so.

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