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

I, too, would like to say how important it is for us to acknowledge the sadness and heartache endured by families throughout the country who have lost friends and relatives over the past number of days and weeks. We are so sorry for that. Our thoughts, prayers and consideration are with people who are ill, either at home or in our hospitals.

It is right and proper for us to be here today in this organised and proper fashion. I could not agree more with those who spoke at the beginning of the session that this is only right and proper. If we carry out our business using a rota system, people from different groupings can come into the Chamber and voice their concerns in a proper, orderly and safe fashion, as people throughout the country are behaving in terms of obeying the rules, and we can do our best to combat the awful difficulty we face at this time.

I will raise one of the consequences of the pressures on our health service. It is an issue I raised earlier, which came to light yesterday morning. I refer to the complete withdrawal of, rather than a reduction in, home help services for many older people in our communities. I can only speak for people from County Kerry because they are the people who have contacted me. I am sure other Deputies are aware of the same issues in their constituencies, and it is for them to speak about it. This matter has to be highlighted here today.

I acknowledge 100% the pressures and constraints on the system and was grateful to have had a conference call for nearly two hours yesterday with senior people in the HSE, with whom I raised this issue.

I understand the difficulties the Department of Health and the HSE are having in trying to manage the resources they have. We are aware of the excellent people who have put their shoulders to the wheel and come back, whether they were retired or abroad, and have said they are here to work and to serve at this difficult time. In spite of that, HSE management has decided to completely withdraw services. I was told during the conference call yesterday that it affected people of a low dependency. On Radio Kerry this morning, I asked what is a low level of dependency. I know elderly people who are wheelchair users and are completely bedbound. It is not acceptable for a son living nearby to come to a lady aged between 70 and 90 years to deal with her private matters, getting up in the morning, showering and getting ready for the day. That will not work. There are things that boys or men cannot do for their mothers, aunties or grandmothers. Another person needs to help to give that type of personal care. These are people who are highly dependent. I plead with the Minister for Health, the Department of Health and the HSE not to attack elderly people by leaving them without their home help. I know nobody wants to do this. Whatever way the help is going to be managed there are excellent people to provide it. There are excellent carers who work in our communities. They are the backbone of our communities. There are individuals who may have two, three or four people in their care. They have been doing everything to assist them over the years and all of a sudden they are getting a telephone call to tell them not to visit Mr. or Mrs. So and So. It is a complete withdrawal of services. We cannot allow that to happen. If we do that, those people all of a sudden will not be able to stay at home. Something will go wrong perhaps in their houses or with their health. They will finish up in an acute hospital or in a community hospital. That is exactly what we do not want at this time. The safest, happiest and best place for a person to be, if it is humanly possible for them to be there at all, is in their home and nowhere else. I am sure the Government and the Minister for Health realise that. It would be a very mean person who would stand here and be critical of the Minister for Health or any other Minister at this time because as far as I can see every one of them is doing their genuine best in this matter. That has to be acknowledged. Let us work together and do the right thing by everybody.

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