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

I, too, thank the Independent Group for bringing this very important motion before us today. I hope the Government will assist in doing something about the position of carers. It is very important for carers to get some respite so they can keep the family member in the home for as long as possible. I know an old gentleman, and he is a gentleman, of 86 years of age who is trying to care for his son who is 46 years old alone. He has been sanctioned for respite care since January but still has not received it. This man is on his knees; he needs home help himself.

On the issue of home help, people in Kerry and especially in the Killarney and Castleisland areas are waiting for home help for elderly people to try to keep them in their homes for longer. The HSE says it is having trouble recruiting staff, yet I know staff who are trained but who still will not be hired. They have gone away and taken other jobs after having being trained and doing the courses. What is wrong with the Minister? Why is this happening? It is so important to allow people to stay in their homes for as long as possible, but they are not being assisted. The hospitals are crammed and the emergency departments are clogged up. They have nowhere to go. There should be a small bit of assistance. If more home help and carers were provided, it would give people a chance and they would stay in their homes for longer, which would save the Government millions of euro. However, the Government has no notion at all about millions other than to fire them out wherever it wants, but it will not give them to our own people who really need it.

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