Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this question. I assume Members have, as I have, experienced multiple call-ins to our constituency offices by families struggling to get carers in order for them to put a home care programme in place so they can keep their loved one in their home. There were numerous reports in the last year, particularly during the pandemic, when many of us recognised the type of work done by carers, and how their work makes a huge impact in our State and society, in addition to saving the State a significant amount of money and resources.

The problem, and we have all dealt with this, concerns people being unable to get care packages or only being able to get insufficient hours. From time to time, there have been issues in this regard. For example, community healthcare organisation, CHO, 8 might not have had enough directly-employed HSE staff or contract staff available. We hear at times that such problems have been sorted out but we still have these cases. If we are going to deliver home care that is an alternative to nursing home care, if that is what these people and their families want, then we must ensure that we resource this option.

I go through the details of some cases. I will speak in generalities and not name names. These cases have come through our office in the last while. The first concerns a 61-year-old woman. She lives in north Louth and had a stroke several months ago. She was in the care of the RCSI Hospitals Group in Drogheda and later in Dundalk. She was due to return home recently and her family made many attempts to try to get the recommended home care package. It involves four visits by two carers seven days a week. The family, however, has not been able to secure that package. The family has also been absolutely clear from the outset that this woman will not go into a nursing home. She is a young woman of 61 years old and a nursing home is not the place for her. The family are very supportive and are willing to do whatever they can but they must be facilitated. We must find solutions to cases like this.

I have another case involving a 93-year-old lady who spent a few days in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. She was discharged but a care plan was not put in place and no advice was provided to her daughter, who attempted to try to put something together at that stage. She made contact with a district nurse who was very busy and it was not possible to get a meeting for about a week. We had contact with people in CHO 8. They have been in touch and are assisting her. Again, it was stated that there was a need to deal with such cases and that people should not be let out of care until the correct home care package is in place.

The next case I will raise has been brought up previously. It involves a 74-year-old woman. These are all cases involving women and in most cases, the carers are also women. We are failing miserably in this regard. The lady involved in this case has advanced dementia. She had secured home care but not sufficient care for the weekends. The situation is the same months later. We are dealing with a family whose members are exhausted and at their wits' end. They are doing everything they can to try to give the required care to this lady on the weekends and get her through to the weekdays, when a better care package is in place. That is it, however. We are again talking about people doing their absolute best. It is, though, keeping an engine going with baling twine. It is not good enough. If we are talking about home care as an alternative to nursing home care, then we must offer people what is necessary.

See this speech in context