Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to take this opportunity to wish the Minister and the Minister of State really well in their briefs. There is a belief out there that the health service is broken and cannot be fixed, but I genuinely believe that with the right political will it can be, especially in respect of health reform. If the Minister gets it right, she will get support on this side of the House. It is not about politics or throwing stuff back and forth. It is about getting the right healthcare for our citizens, which they need.

Older people should be valued. They are living fountains of knowledge accumulated through life's experience and education. They help our younger generation to navigate complex professional and emotional challenges. They act as mentors and emotional pillars for many families in need of stability. Older people are an asset and they need to be valued. I have numerous examples of older people who are not being valued or are not getting the service they deserve. I will raise two cases, the first of which I raised only two weeks ago. Maureen is 86 years of age. She has Alzheimer's disease and is at risk of falling. Maureen has already fallen twice. She is waiting for an appointment with an occupational therapist to make her home safe. I made representations to the HSE in June of last year. I only got a response two weeks ago, which stated that the current wait time for occupational therapy for Maureen in 184 weeks. That is three and a half years for an Alzheimer's patient to get an appointment. I also want to talk about Mary. She is 74 years of age and has a tumour on her back. Mary was to have surgery in Beaumont hospital in March last year. This was cancelled. She got another appointment for surgery for May; this was cancelled. She got another appointment for July last year and it was cancelled. Mary is in a lot of pain and is concerned about her tumour. Beaumont have now stated that they believe the tumour may be a slipped disc that is mimicking a tumour and they want to send her for an MRI. She has not received that appointment yet. These are two examples - a 74-year-old woman with a suspected tumour and an 86-year-old Alzheimer's patient - of people who are not getting the services they deserve. The way Maureen's family member put it to me was this: she worked all her life, she paid her taxes and has been a really good citizen in our country, and they believe the social contract was broken with Maureen. I will send the Minister and Minister of State a note about these cases, and would appreciate anything they can do. It is heartbreaking. I could mention many more people as well.

The last thing I want to bring up with the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, is regarding older people who are being forced to move out of nursing homes for whatever reason. We had two in my area last year, one in Cherry Orchard Hospital and one in Lucan Lodge. Both were for different reasons. There is transfer trauma, and residents and their loved ones feel they are not being listened to. I was on the picket line with them. They felt they were not getting a response back from the Government. If there was engagement that involved sitting down with Ministers and the Department, that would really help.

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