Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

My office has been inundated in recent days by frightened people who have family members suffering with dementia in Saint Joseph's Shankill because of the possibility that this amazing facility will go. That would cause extreme hardship for dementia sufferers, their families and the wonderful staff and 100 volunteers who assist in this dementia care centre. For example, Frank wrote to me. He said his father died aged 48 years. Then his mother died two years ago in 2017. She was 92. He has been taking care of his stepfather, aged 87, who has had dementia since his mother's death. He works full-time and depends heavily on the service and help of the wonderful people in the day care facility at Saint Joseph's. He said without the service he does not know what he will do. He said the letter he received regarding the consequences should the facility close frightened him. I have received a range of other similar correspondence. Frank and the others who have written to me want to know that the Government is not going to let this facility close for the want of €1.2 million.

Will the Minister of State to acknowledge the point I made earlier? It was the same point Ms Emma Balmaine made, which is that the funding provided under the NTPF does not recognise the difference between low-dependency and high-dependency dementia sufferers. Every other part of our health service recognises that. No one suggests that regardless of how bad a person's cancer is or what level it is at, that person should get the same treatment regardless. The treatment is tailored to the need but when it comes to dementia sufferers the Government has decided a given amount is as much money as a dementia sufferer is getting and no more, regardless of his or her need. That is cruel and inhumane. By the way, the day care rate given by the HSE to Saint Joseph's Shankill has not increased by a cent since 2008 even though all the costs have gone up dramatically since then. I appeal to the Minister of State to get the Government to intervene to ensure this facility does not close because many people, staff and families will suffer if it does.

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