Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have been working many constituents who have loved ones who are either returning from hospital or moving home and who desperately need home care packages. Many people need home care, whether it is a few hours home help or whether it is 24-7 care. We need to ensure we deliver for these vulnerable people. I have been working with older couples in circumstances where, for example, an older person returns home from hospital and their husband or wife is not in a position to take care of them. They also do not have any family who can offer to help. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been working on this matter, and I want to give credit where credit is due. I understand that we are short-staffed in the context of home care. People are contacting me in frustration and panic that they have nobody to help them take care of their loved ones. How do we recruit and retain qualified home care staff?

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