Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on the Bill, which I hope will finally deal with the scheme's inequalities and make the scheme fairer for those who are going into residential care for longer than a couple of years. The care we will get in our senior years is something that we all worry about. We want to be sure that we receive the best care possible and keep as much of our independence as we can. We want to be treated with dignity and respect.

We need to start considering how to deal with the care of older people in a way that is fair to everyone and does not leave people with large debts. International best practice in elder care must be examined. Independent living in single units with services and wrap-around supports on site must form part of our planning for elder care living. We need to introduce a publicly funded model of residential care. The current model is another example of the Government relying too heavily on the private sector to provide what should be a public service. We must also consider how we use home help hours. The lack of available hours and supports is the reason some people need to move into residential care. They have no alternative.

The Bill is welcome and improves some elements for some people, but we need a complete rethink of the nursing home system and how our home help supports operate. We must consider how we treat older people and ensure their dignity and respect when we help them in whatever way we can to have as much choice as possible. We need to be much more ambitious than just tweaking a system that is struggling.

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