Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the attendance of Deputy Carrigy who has brought the FTD brothers, Jordan and Cian Adams, into the Public Gallery. I welcome them to the Dáil.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on the very important topic of dementia, an issue that touches so many people's lives, be it family, friends and neighbours. It reflects how we care for one another as a society, and how we support people to live with dignity, independence and security as they age. I look forward to a very engaging and constructive debate with Dáil colleagues. I know many are contributing. It shows how important an event this is.

I welcome and acknowledge the presence in the Dáil Gallery of Jordan and Cian Adams, along with Helen Jolly, Cian's partner. I also acknowledge Agnes, Jordan's wife, and their dad, Glen. The brothers ran 32 marathons over 32 days during April and May, one in every county in Ireland, together with the London Marathon, where Jordan carried a fridge on his back for the entire run, to raise awareness of dementia and funds for frontotemporal dementia, FTD, research. They did this in honour of their late mother, Geraldine, who died from the disease in 2016. I have no doubt she would be proud of them, as is their dad, Glen.

I commend the brothers on the tremendous effort they have put into their ongoing campaign, their personal courage and bravery, which does not go unnoticed, and the incredible spotlight they have placed on frontotemporal dementia, as well as on dementia in general. I welcome and look forward to our continued engagement. Jordan and Cian had incredible connection and engagement with all age groups, which I witnessed first-hand in the city of Limerick, and in particular with young people. That struck me. The brothers made a real and lasting impact on the general public's understanding of the lived experience and impact of dementia, not only on the person with the condition but also on their families and children.

The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, estimates that the Irish population aged 65 and over will increase from 780,000 in 2022 to over 1.3 million by 2040. Ageing is the biggest non-modifiable risk factor for dementia. It is estimated that there were approximately 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland in 2020, with approximately 11,000 new cases each year. This figure is expected to rise to approximately 150,000 people by 2045, necessitating a sustained Government, HSE and societal response to keep people with dementia living as well as possible at home for as long as possible. A dementia diagnosis affects not only those living with the condition, but also their spouses, partners, children, neighbours and communities. A dementia diagnosis can be particularly difficult for people with young onset dementia, including those who may still be working and have a young family. That was very much the case with Jordan and Cian's mother, Geraldine. Good dementia care requires a whole-system response.

People with lived experience and their families, clinicians, academics, voluntary organisations, statutory services and government all have distinct but interconnected roles. By working collaboratively, we can ensure that people living with dementia receive a timely diagnosis, are supported more effectively and are enabled to live as well and as independently as possible in their own homes and communities. Making Irish society more dementia inclusive is essential if we want people with dementia to maintain independence and enjoy the highest possible quality of life within supportive communities. For its part, the Government is committed to improving services and supports for people with dementia. We included specific commitments on dementia in the 2025 programme for Government to improve access to dementia diagnosis and care. We have also committed to improving data on dementia. That is something everyone agrees is a priority. Having good data is essential if we are to plan and deliver high-quality, equitable dementia diagnosis and post-diagnosis support services.

In line with a commitment in the programme for Government, last May I announced the establishment of an Irish dementia registry. Full funding has been provided to develop the registry, and I am pleased to note that it is on track to come on stream in the middle of 2028. It will make an enormous difference. The registry aims to improve dementia care quality, inform service planning and policy development, and support research for people living with dementia in Ireland. For the first time, Ireland will have a dedicated system to collect reliable, consistent data on dementia, including data on assessment and diagnosis, what supports people receive and what outcomes they experience.

In the programme for Government, we have also committed to rolling out more memory assessment and support services. The HSE's 2023 dementia model of care sets out a recommended service infrastructure and associated targets for the development of dementia diagnostic services countrywide. Full implementation of the model of care will ensure equitable access to dementia assessment and post-diagnosis support in all parts of the country. The model of care recommends the establishment of a national network of memory assessment and support services, regional specialist memory clinics and a national intellectual disability memory service. It also sets targets for assessment, diagnosis and review within these services. Under the dementia model of care, memory assessment and support services, MASS, provide specialist dementia assessment, diagnosis and post-diagnostic support, generally for more typical dementia presentations. Since 2021, the Government has funded the progressive establishment of new memory assessment and support services, focusing on parts of the country that previously had few or no diagnostic services. Three of these services are now operational, in Cavan-Monaghan, Mayo and Sligo, while the HSE has committed in its national service plan 2026 to progressing the opening of seven more MASS this year, in Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Mullingar, Waterford and Wexford, respectively.

Diagnostic assessment in a regional specialist memory clinic, or RSMC, is generally intended for younger, atypical or unclear presentations that require a more detailed assessment. That is very much early onset dementia. Since 2021, the Government has funded the establishment of two new RSMCs in Cork and Galway, and the expansion of the two existing RSMCs in St. James's Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin. The HSE has committed to establishing a fifth RSMC in north Dublin in 2026. The Government has also funded the establishment of a national intellectual disability memory service, NIDMS. It is a centre of excellence in dementia assessment and diagnosis for people with intellectual disability, particularly supporting people with Down's syndrome who have an increased genetic risk for dementia. The NIDMS works in partnership with existing regional services and aims to support best quality outcomes for each person with an intellectual disability diagnosed with dementia in Ireland and their carers and supporters.

There are now over 90 staff working in the diagnostic services established under the dementia model of care and all provide dementia assessment, diagnosis and post-diagnostic supports to people with dementia and their families. These services bring together multidisciplinary teams, including consultants, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and other specialists, ensuring a comprehensive approach. In 2025, the four regional specialist memory clinics saw over 1,400 new patients and almost 5,500 returning patients. The operational memory assessment and support services saw almost 500 new patients and over 300 returning patients. As more memory assessments come on stream, we can expect the number of patients being assessed for dementia to increase significantly.

In addition to developing an Irish dementia registry and rolling out more memory services, the programme for Government also commits to increasing the provision of community-based services, including dementia day care, dementia day care at home, dementia advisers and supports for people with young onset dementia. The key role of the national dementia registry is as a database, but that will be fed into by the memory assessment clinics and regional assessment clinics at local level, so we get a proper database for people with dementia. The registry will be an enhancement, as clinicians, people with dementia and the representative organisations agree.

New Government funding has been allocated annually since 2021 to increase the availability of dementia community-based services, primarily through a partnership between the HSE and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I acknowledge the presence of ASI members in the Gallery. ASI day centres provide warm, welcoming and safe opportunities for social interaction and cognitive stimulation for people with dementia.

They reduce social isolation and promote well-being among attendees. Day centres also support family caregivers by providing a break from caring responsibilities.

In 2023, the Government allocated €2.1 million in funding to allow ASI day centres to return to full capacity in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Three new ASI day services were funded in budget 2025 and a further five in 2026, bringing the total number to 62, with at least one now available in every county. In 2025, there were more than 80,000 attendees. Dementia services are also provided by a variety of smaller organisations around the country, including Western Alzheimers, which operates in counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.

Since 2021, the Government has funded the provision of day care at home for people who, for a variety of reasons, cannot or do not wish to attend a day centre. This is particularly important for Jordan, Cian and Helen. Day care at home is delivered by trained care workers who provide one-to-one support to people with dementia in their homes every week in block hours. Unlike traditional home support, day care at home is activity-based, focused on providing variety, stimulation, social interaction and personalised enjoyable activities based on the interests of the person with dementia.

In 2025, the ASI provided over 98,000 hours of day care at home. As of 2026, over 750 people are being provided with day care at home weekly. Western Alzheimers also provides some day care at home services. The overall budget now stands at €2.9 million. I know how important this is to people with dementia and, particularly, their families. It is something I fully understand and want to work with.

Another vital community-based service is the national dementia adviser service. Dementia advisers work in every county in Ireland, providing information and signposting, as well as practical and emotional support, throughout the dementia journey, from diagnosis through to end of life. The service plays an important role in providing early intervention to prevent crises. Dementia advisers also support the person with dementia and their family in considering planning for the future, with a focus on legal, financial and care planning. Seven additional ASI dementia advisers have been recruited in 2025 and 2026, bringing the national total to 37, comprising 36 ASI advisers and one adviser employed through Western Alzheimers. ASI dementia advisers saw almost 5,000 new clients in 2025.

Recognising that people with young onset dementia often have difficulty fitting into existing service provision, the Government decided in 2024 to fund the ASI to pilot activity clubs for people with young onset dementia. The funding was made recurring in 2025, and there are now 28 clubs in operation. The clubs are participant-led and provide an opportunity for people with young onset dementia to socialise together while engaging in enjoyable activities such as therapy, music sessions, gardening and social events. They support people to maintain independence, confidence and emotional well-being, while reducing isolation and promoting inclusion in communities.

The HSE has made significant inroads into building awareness and understanding of dementia on the ground within communities. Dementia: Understand Together is a national campaign that promotes support, awareness and stigma reduction for people with dementia. It encourages people across society to stand together with those affected. Dementia: Understand Together works with over 60 national partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors, including businesses, academics and national community groups which are raising awareness through their branch networks. This is in addition to 2,100 community champions at grassroots levels who do valuable work locally to mobilise existing services.

This morning, on the hallowed turf of Croke Park, there was a collaboration between the GAA, the HSE's Dementia: Understand Together and the five daughters of the late Sean McCague, a former president of the GAA. They are working together on dementia awareness. Jordan and Cian will be there on Sunday when a video will be rolled out. I will be attending the all-Ireland football semi-final in Croke Park, which will see the Dementia: Understand Together team join with the GAA and the family of Mr. McCague. I understand Jordan and Cian will be running around the perimeter and people will get to see what they do to promote awareness of dementia. The video will be shared with all GAA clubs across the country for further circulation among members. I commend the GAA on its collaborative approach to this. It was a positive launch in an area that is difficult for people who have family with dementia.

People with dementia use a range of additional services that support older people, including day care centres. Home support is a cornerstone. The programme for Government commits to increasing ring-fenced dementia home support hours. Under the HSE's 2026 national service plan, a minimum of 22% of new home support hours will be allocated to people with dementia or cognitive impairment, up from 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2024. We will continue with that increase.

The overall target for home support has increased to 26.7 million hours, with a budget of around €914 million, excluding complex home support. This is more home support hours than ever. It is nearly double the number provided in 2018. We want to continue with that.

It is important that home support workers are assisted in understanding the needs of people with dementia and are trained to provide person-centred care. The Government has therefore funded the HSE to roll out a home support worker education programme across the country. There has been a successful pilot and a national roll-out is under way under the leadership of the national dementia office.

I was pleased to bring the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Act 2026 through the Houses of the Oireachtas recently. It was signed into law by the President. Under the Act, for the first time in Ireland, all private, public and voluntary home support providers will be registered and regulated by HIQA and the Chief Inspector of Social Services. The aim is to improve the safety and quality of home support services by ensuring providers meet standards set by ministerial regulation. This will give the public confidence regarding quality. It is the first essential step in delivering on the programme for Government commitment to design a statutory home care scheme to allow people to stay in their own home for as long as possible. I acknowledge the work done on the Act by my predecessor, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the officials in the Department.

Meals on wheels is another key service used by many people with dementia. We have increased funding for the service this year by €2 million to €8.25 million.

Respite care is hugely important. I know it is something Jordan and Cian have brought up. Residential respite is currently provided to approximately 8,000 people through older persons' services, while 1,200 people receive in-home respite.

We recognise the significant contribution made by family carers. Government funding has supported the delivery of the carer's guarantee, providing a package of supports for family carers across all regions in partnership with the community and voluntary sector, with total funding of €3.3 million.

Family Carers Ireland gets €3.14 million to deliver the emergency respite scheme and supports across five services. In this year's budget, I gave it as a defined line of funding. It is something that will be funded in its own right every year.

All the funding for community-based services is supporting the delivery of Sláintecare. That is our overarching policy document in health. It has cross-party support and is the framework for the advancement of health in this country. For many people with dementia, there comes a time when living at home is no longer an option. The programme for Government commits to building more public nursing home beds and to including dementia-specific provision in all new community nursing units. We are working to progress this commitment so that there is an adequate supply of public nursing home beds to meet the needs of our growing older population.

As many as 25% of patients in an acute hospital at any time have dementia and their outcomes are often poor. Government funding has been provided for dementia quality improvement initiatives in acute hospitals, so that people can receive the best possible care and be discharged with appropriate supports. National dementia services are currently preparing to implement the third national audit of dementia in acute hospitals. The audit will examine many aspects of dementia in acute hospitals, how the situation compares with the previous audits in 2019 and 2013, and provide recommendations on how to improve it.

While medical advances offer hope for future diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, there is much that can be done to reduce the prevalence of dementia through an enhanced focus on prevention and risk reduction. National dementia services and HSE health and well-being, supported by Government funding, are working on strategies to highlight the importance of maintaining good brain health in preventing or delaying the onset or progression of dementia. International research published by the Lancet Commission has shown that 14 risk factors account for up to 45% of all dementia.

If we can address these risk factors on an individual, health service and societal level, we can positively impact on the prevalence of dementia. We really want to track these medical advances, which are very important, but there is an area where we can reduce the risk also. The HSE recently published an excellent brain health guide, with advice on ways to maintain or improve brain health and, therefore, reduce our risk of developing dementia.

Palliative care is very important and it is very difficult for families when they get to this point. Palliative care is provided across a range of settings. To ensure the best possible delivery of palliative care in nursing homes, the Caru nursing home programme ensures that nursing home staff are trained and supported to deliver excellent care, in line with residents' and families' needs and wishes. The programme was delivered to over 3,000 staff in 2025. It helps to improve advance care planning and communication with older persons and their families, including many with dementia, to ensure a dignified end-of-life experience and bereavement support.

People with dementia may require assistance with decision-making as their condition progresses. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 establishes a modern statutory framework to support decision-making by adults who have difficulty in making decisions without help. There is also the Decision Support Service. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act and the various types of support arrangements have particular relevance for people diagnosed with dementia. Under the dementia model of care, the aim is to promote the person's autonomy by working towards specific outcomes they have identified. Where they are unable to express or communicate their desired outcomes, their will and preferences are sought in line with the assisted decision-making Act. As part of post-diagnostic support under the dementia model of care, it is recommended that information about future planning be provided to the person and their supporter, including in relation to decision-making arrangements, enduring power of attorney and advance healthcare directives. Dementia advisers have a key role to play in this regard.

This debate arose through Deputy Carrigy and, more particularly, Jordan and Cian and the impact they have had across the length and breadth of Ireland and in the UK and farther afield. The fact so many Members of the Dáil are taking part is testament to the impact they have had. In my role as Minister of State with responsibility for older people and dementia, I am committed to the continued expansion of dementia services in line with the dementia model of care. We want to continue to work in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland in a range of areas. We want to continue to roll out memory assessment clinics, regional clinics, specialist clinics, additional care in the home, day care including for those with young onset dementia, meals on wheels and respite. We want to advance in the research and medical fields also. We need to work with all stakeholders, most particularly for the families, to ensure all those with dementia can live as well and independently as possible for as long as possible in their own homes and communities, and can have access to high-quality long-term residential care if needed. A critical point is that we want to ensure that people with dementia and their families get the best supports possible at what is a very difficult time in their lives.

I thank Jordan, Cian, Helen and everyone involved for being here today. I thank the FTD Brothers for what they have done to promote awareness of frontotemporal dementia, from which their late mother Geraldine passed away. I expect the debate today will be engaging and robust. We want to continue to advance supports and services for people with dementia and, more particularly, for their families. I very much look forward to engagement from all Members of the House throughout the debate.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome Cian and Jordan Adams and everyone else in the Public Gallery. I thank them for their fundraising efforts and for shining a spotlight on the issue of dementia. As the Minister of State said, I am sure their late mother Geraldine would be very proud of their work. They are very welcome here today.

Dementia is a significant health and social care challenge facing the State and it is growing due to our ageing population. More than 64,000 people are living with dementia in Ireland today and this number is expected to double over the next 20 years. Every year, thousands more people and families are affected by this life-changing condition, often with too little support and too much left to chance and to a postcode lottery. While it has a massive impact on the individual who has dementia, I am sure the Minister of State will also acknowledge the impact it has on their family and friends as well. My grandmother had dementia for six or seven years and my mother was her carer. She lived with her and looked after her. I watched my grandmother regress over the course of six or seven years. It was very rewarding for my mother to be caring for her almost every day but also very challenging. Unfortunately, my mother got cancer and died about a month before her mother died, after all of that caring. There are a lot of challenges and a lot of stress involved in caring for people but it is also very rewarding. That is why those in the Public Gallery are here and why they have done the work they do.

Our starting point has to be dignity. People living with dementia, whether early onset, advanced or advancing, deserve care that is person centred, timely and properly planned. They deserve supports that delay progression where possible, manage symptoms, protect safety and preserve independence and autonomy for as long as possible. A serious dementia policy must begin with early intervention and wraparound supports to support the person and their family. This is especially true for people with early onset dementia. They may still be in work and I know some people in that circumstance. They may have children at home. They may have mortgages, caring responsibilities and an active family life. They need a timely diagnosis, clear information, income and employment supports, counselling, therapies and practical advice.

The national dementia strategy was published in 2014. It was important, but 12 years later too many services remain fragmented, under-resourced and uneven across the State. Families still describe a system where they have to fight for information, assessments, home support, respite and continuity of care. Everybody accepts that the strategy must be updated, but an updated strategy alone will not be enough. It must be tied to funding, workforce planning, local delivery, data accountability and clear rights for people who need care. It must sit in a wider reform of ageing social care, primary care and communities services. We had some discussions with the Minister for Health earlier during priority questions and oral questions on many of these topics.

The health service must be built around getting people the right care in the right place at the right time. That is what Sláintecare promised and it is the reform we need to keep driving towards to ensure everybody, including people with dementia, get that support. For many people with dementia, that means care at home and in the community for as long as it is safe and appropriate. People do this. Families do everything possible to keep somebody in the home until it becomes impossible, but for this to happen, all of the supports, including home care, outside of what families can do have to be in place. Very often it is patchy and it is very difficult for people if they are not getting it or are only getting partial hours. We have to look at this in the context of all of the supports that are needed, especially when somebody is still living at home.

These debates inevitably circle back to the long-promised statutory home care scheme. This has been promised for years. I do not know why it has not been delivered. It is very important. It was in the programme for Government not just this time but the last time as well. We go around in endless debates on this. I have never been given a clear reason that it has not been developed. A statutory home care scheme would not solve all of the problems but it would set out a legal right for people to have access to home care.

Whether it is people with dementia or older people more generally, keeping people in the home for as long as possible is about dignity, is the right thing to do, and is obviously better for that person. Home support hours do need to increase. As the Minister of State knows, I have been raising this issue year after year. This is just one of a number of issues.

Home care itself needs major reform. The statutory home care scheme needs to be put in place. It must also, however, recognise the different levels of need, from basic support with daily living to intensive home care nursing support, therapies and medical care. There is so much that we need to do. I welcome that we will have a review of the dementia strategy but when we are doing this, resourcing it will be the most important part of it.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome all those people in the Public Gallery watching this debate, particularly Cian and Jordan. I echo what has been said. Their mam would be incredibly proud because they have raised awareness and sparked that conversation. It is so important. The Minister of State alluded to this himself. Awareness is extremely important. To be fair, however, this is a part of a much bigger jigsaw because awareness does not bring with it supports, home care or what people actually need.

The Minister of State referred in his script to the statistics available from the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI. I think it is fair to say that we have a very clear understanding of the scale of support needed. We do not need any more reviews and we do not want any more information. To move from collecting information to delivering services is where the Government should be focusing.

I lost my own mam last September. People said to me that she had died very suddenly. At the time, people told me I was lucky that I did not have a long drawn-out illness to deal with. Part of the reason people fear conditions like dementia is because they know what it is like. They know it means that their families will have to fight for every single service. They know it is a constant battle. They know that the likelihood is that they will not have their wishes fulfilled if they want to stay at home and age where they are comfortable. They know that they will be let down and have to become what, effectively, feels like a burden to their family, I am sure, although it is not. As Teachta Cullinane advised, it is a great thing to be able to care for someone. People do, however, fear that element of ageing.

I think the Government should reflect on this aspect. It knows what people want. They want to be able to age where they are and to be able to stay at home, and we still do not have a statutory home care scheme. It has been promised and the Minister of State's party has been in government for 15 years. That is long enough to do it, review it, do it better and do it again but it has not been delivered. If the Minister is listening, she will put a rush on doing this.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I also welcome Jordan and Cian to the Public Gallery and all their family and friends with them. I thank them for raising awareness of dementia. I was looking at their achievement, and they have done 32 marathons in 32 days. That sends shivers down my spine. I do not know how they managed to do it. I ran one marathon in 2018, and not 32 of them, as a person living with multiple sclerosis, just to raise awareness. The thought of doing 32 marathons is something else. I cannot contemplate it. That is some achievement. I hope to see Jordan and Cian on Sunday when they will be doing laps around Croke Park because I will be on the Hill cheering for the Dubs at the same time. I will give those lads a cheer when they are going around the pitch.

I also appreciate the opportunity to speak on dementia. I do not think there is a family in the country not affected by somebody having this life-changing condition. My family is no different. My nanny, May, passed away several years ago. She was a strong Dublin woman, raised in the Liberties. She raised her own family, including my mam, in Drimnagh. She was a dressmaker and worked alongside my grandfather in his tailor's workshop on Wellington Quay, just beside Temple Bar. If she was alive today, she would have celebrated her 100th birthday a couple of weeks ago. My nanny, however, was robbed of her later years in life by Alzheimer's disease. I remember her getting upset in the early stages when she misremembered stuff. I learned very quickly that if somebody with Alzheimer's disease misremembers stuff, that is the truth. You do not argue whatsoever. That is their truth, and you allow them to have their truth. My mother and her siblings really fought for the appropriate care for their mam back then.

If we fast-forward a few years later, one of those siblings, my aunt, is 66, now has Alzheimer's disease and is living in a care home. She is my godmother. I am really fond of her. She spoiled me rotten as a child. She gave me the odd clip around the ear when I was a child. She also gave me a few clips around the ear when I was an adult. Now, I deserved every single one of them. She is another one of these really formidable Dublin women who have this quick-witted sense of humour. She could cut you in two with a sentence. She worked really hard over the years. She bought a home, raised her children and doted on her grandchildren. My cousin, who I spoke to yesterday, had to make the really difficult decision around her ma having to go into residential care. She signed up for the fair deal scheme, and her words to me yesterday were that, "There is nothing fair about the fair deal scheme". Whatever improvements have been made, the people at the front end of this situation are not feeling the effects. I think this needs to be looked at too.

I will not go into too much as I know my colleague wants to contribute on this issue too. As was mentioned before, however, proper home care is needed too. At the very least, while it might not stop someone having to go into a care home at some stage, it could delay that day and give people and their families that bit of quality of life, instead of having it robbed from them. I would appreciate if the Minister of State could look into this issue too. I thank him.

Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I, too, would like to welcome Cian and Jordan and thank them for everything they have done. They have captured the hearts of everybody. When they were in Kilkenny, the size of the crowd spoke for itself. Well done. It is all in aid of dementia awareness and research. The crowd that turned out for them in Carlow and Kilkenny just speaks a thousand words.

Very few of us do not know somebody living with dementia or a family grappling with the daily challenges of caring for a loved one with the condition. Everyday tasks like paying bills, preparing meals, remembering appointments, and getting from place to place become increasingly difficult. More than 64,000 people and their families are living with this as their daily reality, and that number is set to double over the next 20 years. It is vital that the State takes a proactive approach to supporting those with dementia, ensuring they can remain in their own homes, in the environment they know and where they feel safe and secure, for as long as possible. We must protect their independence for as long as we possibly can.

In 2014, the national dementia strategy was published. Over a decade later, little progress has been made. Services remain fragmented and underresourced. We need to see ambition and urgency from the Minister of State, and an updated strategy that will not, like so many others, be left to gather dust on a shelf. It should be a strategy acted upon with the determination this issue demands. Time and again, this Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government has failed to care for older people, despite warning after warning from report after report. How is it that this Government still has not implemented a statutory home care scheme? This a scheme the Government made so much noise about when it was announced, and yet here we are with no scheme in place. It needs to be prioritised. This is about ensuring appropriate care at home and, crucially, recognising the varying levels of care and support that people require.

The failure to expand home support hours and the failure to recruit more home care assistants mean a crisis is now hitting this sector. In Kilkenny hospital alone, over 3,500 bed days are lost each year due to delayed transfers of care. Simply put, this is because of a chronic shortage of home care assistants in the community. There is a lady in Kilkenny hospital who was admitted on 27 February. Tomorrow, she will have been in hospital for 19 weeks.

With support from us, she got access Monday to Friday. The answer now is that an ambulance will take her out of the hospital for Saturday and Sunday and bring her to a nursing home and back. This lady has dementia. She is 99 and a half years old. That is shocking in this day and age. How can the Government stand over this carry-on?

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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This debate today is really important. I think every family in this country will to some degree have experienced dementia and the difficulties and challenges people face when they get that diagnosis. I have a lot of personal experience with it. My father had vascular dementia, my father-in-law had Alzheimer's and my mother-in-law also has vascular dementia. I know how difficult it is from the point when you get the diagnosis and how scary it is. Not just the person who got the diagnosis but their family are trying to navigate what it means for them, what care is available, when they will need the care, what kind of care and how the disease can be slowed down. It is a very scary journey. For the person with the diagnosis and sometimes the families as well, it is a very lonely journey and it can be quite a confusing one. It is really important that no matter what stage of that journey someone is at, the right supports are available. What is needed at early onset is very different from what is needed at later stages. It is important we remember that. We were really lucky; we managed to keep Dad at home and he passed at home. We were very blessed for that, but I have seen and experienced that residential care is sometimes really good and sometimes it is not so good. As a family member, when you walk away from the doors of a nursing home, a lot of the time you do not know what is happening behind the doors. When you leave a loved one behind you in those homes, you do not know. They cannot tell you what is going on. The quality of nursing care and governance is just so important. As a family member, you wonder if the person is getting care, whether they are being fed properly and whether they are being looked after. There is no visibility.

There is a dementia care home in Shankill that a lot of people from my constituency use, St. Joseph's. It is incredible. I visited it recently. You walk in and the place is bright and friendly, there are no smells and everyone is really happy and content. When we were going into a room, a staff member said, "When I go in, I have to talk to every person in this room." That is a rule there. The staff do not go into a room without engaging with every single person. It is simple things like that. The home has a volunteer programme, with 120 people volunteering to paint murals, hold day centres and serve coffees. It is fabulous but they get no funding for it. It is all fundraising. I ask the Minister of State to look into that. It is a really important and valuable part of the service it provides.

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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It is so valuable to listen to how other people have experienced dementia in the lives of their family members. What unites people in this Chamber is our desire to make sure anyone who has dementia is supported to the best ability this country can provide and to support family members and loved ones around the person with dementia. As has been so eloquently said, it is important because it is such a confusing time for the person with dementia but also the people around them. My mother-in-law had dementia. She died in 2023. She ran her own business, a hotel, and she was a tailor. She was an incredibly capable woman who loved having the chats. As her dementia progressed, it was utterly heartbreaking to watch her and to see how it was affecting my husband, his siblings and my father-in-law.

I also had to try to explain to my children what was going wrong with Oma. She was German. My husband is German, as I am sure I have said 100 times here. The point is that many people, many of my neighbours, colleagues and friends, have experienced this. We need to make sure the person with dementia is able to live at home for as long as possible and be supported by professionals; that the family members are supported by professionals; and if and when the transition to full-time care needs to come, that the place, as Deputy Whitmore described, is inspiring and welcoming because often for people with dementia, it is about feelings and how they feel comfortable in their environment. Therefore, we need to make sure it is the best we can provide.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. I acknowledge Jordan and Cian Adams, who turned an incredibly negative experience into an extremely positive one, for the work they have done in creating awareness and advocating in this area. It is hugely welcome.

Unfortunately, 69,000 people in this country are only too well aware of the affects of dementia on family life, as are their families. According to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, ASI, in the next 20 years, that figure will more than double to 150,000 people so our debate is extremely timely. My father passed away last December and while I am extremely thankful for the long and healthy life he had, his final years were dominated by dementia. His memory diminished. His world got smaller every passing day and, sometimes, I looked into his eyes and saw absolute fear and confusion in a place that was familiar to him for so long.

Just before Christmas, a home care provider in Mullingar, Dovida, had a simulator van in the town for a day. People went in, put on glasses and gloves and put spikes into their feet and, for two and a half or five minutes, they got some sense of the experience of what it is to live with dementia. After I came out of it, I do not think I was ever as scared about how people must feel all day long when they are suffering with dementia. As a community, we can do a lot more. I acknowledge the work being done in Mullingar to create a dementia-friendly town - Rosaleen Madden is doing similar work in Castlepollard - to ensure people who have dementia are welcomed in their communities, that they are recognised and that we can respond to them in an appropriate fashion.

A lot of progress has been made by the Government in recent years. I acknowledge the Minister of State's predecessor, Deputy Butler, for the work she did with the ASI. There are now 62 dedicated centres open across Ireland. We want to see more. One of the things in my political record I am most proud of was working with the ASI to deliver centres in Multyfarnham and Athlone, which the Minister of State opened last year. I take the opportunity to acknowledge Ms Leanne Taitt and the team who provide incredible respite for families, but also support for the people who go to the centre on a daily basis. They have created an environment of care, compassion, security and love for the person. I will be forever grateful because that support prevented my father going into a nursing home for a long period. We need to see more of them across the country. We need to look at where the gaps are and work with the ASI to ensure they are addressed. I also acknowledge the work Ray and Eileen do in the bridge centre in Mullingar on Friday mornings, bringing families together to support them. More of that is needed because it is important, not just for the people who suffer from dementia but for their families.

I have no doubt of the Minister of State's commitment in this area, but we are in the month of July and I understand he is still to met the ASI. I ask him to meet it, engage with it and work with it to ensure we, collectively as a Government, can deliver on its budget requests, to ensure we have more centres across the board and that memory clinics, such as the one in Mullingar, are adequately resourced and staffed.

Deputy Whitmore spoke well about a nursing home centre in her constituency. My father was lucky to be in a good care home, but most people want to stay in their homes. The statutory home care legislation is long overdue and, collectively as a Government, we should move heaven and earth to implement it so that the necessary supports are put in place to keep people in their own homes for as long as possible.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Minister of State will be struck that while often in these Houses when we have debates there is disagreement, this is an issue about which there is cross-party agreement and even unity. It has had an impact on every family and every community. The Minister of State is personally deeply committed to working in this area. Having these kinds of debates or discussions shows there is a lot more that unites us around particular issues. The suggestions coming from all sides of the House are about how to come up with solutions. As Deputy Troy mentioned, I hope the Minister of State will meet the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I think he will have the support of everyone in seeking to look at ways in which we can support those with dementia and invest in research to be able to better understand and tackle the condition.

Like others, I welcome Jordan and Cian Adams who are here. I had the privilege of meeting them with Deputy Carrigy earlier. I thank them for all their work in raising awareness of frontotemporal dementia, FTD. They are the FTD Brothers. It was an incredible achievement to run 33 marathons in 33 days, not just for the money they raised for the Alzheimer society and their foundation, but for the awareness raising. People from my running club joined them. As someone who has a bit of experience of running, I know that running 33 marathons in 33 days is not easy. I think they made a mistake in picking Wicklow town to finish in, given the hills there. It is an incredible achievement and I commend them on being able to tell their story in such a way.

Like colleagues, including Deputy Troy, I also praise the Minister of State's predecessor, Deputy Butler, who put this issue on the political agenda. I know the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will continue with that. It is important that we have a cross-party group in the House. My colleagues, Deputy Devlin and Senator O'Loughlin, have done huge work on it. It is an issue on which we should co-operate, in as far as possible, to be able to better understand among ourselves the impact of dementia and what we need to do.

As I and everyone have said, every family is impacted and in different ways. I recall my grandmother. I would have great chats with her and then a few minutes later I would have to repeat the same story. My aunt currently has dementia. Growing up, she hated when people used bad language and now she swears like a trooper. It is about understanding those changes. These are wonderful people and they deserve dignity and support. As colleagues have said, it is not just the diagnosis for the person. It is also about how to support the family, loved ones and those around the person. We also need to look in a greater way - I was conscious of this and Deputy Jen Cummins mentioned it - of how we talk to children and young people so they can understand the condition and how to engage. Specific measures in that regard are important. Providing the support of the dementia advisory service is critical because different people will have different needs. As Deputy Troy said, some need support at home and others may need to be placed in care.

One of the most joyous days I remember from a number of years ago was the opening of the day care centre in Riverchapel by the ASI. It just involved chatting to people and their families.

On that day, somebody told me it is a place where they are understood. We should invest in more of those kinds of supports around the country.

The final thing I will mention is clinical research, which is critically important. As a society, we must continue to invest in research into dementia. We are about to embark on one of the biggest transformative projects ever undertaken in healthcare in this country - the digitalisation of health records. I have always been of the view that if we could use that data in an anonymised fashion to inform clinical research, that has the potential to be transformative. Some incredible work has been done by, for example, the clinical research centre in UCD but I am quite certain that if we knew we could share our data in an anonymised way to inform research into dementia or other conditions, we would be happy to do so. We need a greater emphasis on clinical research.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It was remiss of me not to welcome members of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I am struggling to see through the glare of the glass. I can see a Limerick man, Kevin Quaid, up there. It is not too often that a Cork man would welcome a Limerick man but I welcome Kevin. I can also see Siobhán. I think Andy Heffernan was there as well. I welcome them all.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I also commend the Alzheimer Society of Ireland on the work it has done. I thank its members for being here in the Gallery. Like everyone else, I commend Cian and Jordan Adams on the spectacular work they have done in shining a light on dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia. Early onset dementia has a huge impact on families. It had a huge impact on Cian and Jordan's family when they lost their much-loved mother, Geraldine, at 52. I cannot imagine the impact that had. I was very taken with something Cian said. He said they were delighted when their sister, Kennedy, discovered that unlike Cian and Jordan she did not have the gene that leads to FTD. I do not know how the rest of us here would deal with all of that. Cian and Jordan have shown a huge level of courage and bravery in what they have done, raising money and highlighting the issue as they ran 33 marathons in 33 days. That is where bravery and courage meet absolute madness.

As much as I am commending them now, when I ran with them in Dundalk, I thought they were absolutely fabulous in the beginning but when I got to Ballymac and started to trail them, I was not too impressed with them when they suddenly spurted on. I forgave them at the very end. In fairness, they were really commendable in how they dealt with people, including young people. They engaged and took photographs and everything. It became a brilliant family affair. They also make great use of social media. An awful lot of people have told me that we get an awful lot of material that is not good on our feeds: disinformation, misinformation and downright bad stuff. For a period, over those 33 days and beyond, we saw the best of us and the best of Cian and Jordan. I thank them very much for that.

Getting down to the business end, dementia impacts 69,000 people in Ireland and possibly up to 150,000. We know that there are failings as regards our national dementia strategy. We need a framework covering home care and nursing homes. It should also cover brain health, which the Minister of State mentioned, therapies and respite. It is about putting it all together. Many others here have been thinking about their relatives. I think of my granny, Maryanne Murphy. She got great support and help in St. Oliver Plunkett nursing home in Dundalk. I commend the staff there. She was a strong and formidable woman. She might have been glad to see me as a TD, although it is fair to say she probably would not have been glad to see me as a TD for Sinn Féin. She was more similar to the Minister of State in that sense.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Your grandmother was a woman of taste.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State would probably say she was a very sensible woman. It was a very difficult situation for my father but St. Oliver Plunkett nursing home was the right place for her to be. It is about providing supports but also about doing the work as regards research. If we can help to save people like Cian and Jordan from the likes of FTD, we need to do so.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I will be sharing time with my colleague, Deputy Lawlor. I pay tribute to the work of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland in its many years of fighting for this cause. I also pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy George Lawlor, who is co-chair of the Oireachtas working group on Alzheimer's disease. I warmly welcome Jordan and Cian Adams, who we had the pleasure of meeting earlier today. I have been bowled over by how they have turned their grief into such power. They have been an inspiration to thousands of people across this country, including people who might not ordinarily be clued into issues relating to dementia because it may not have directly affected their lives. Within my own community, I have been struck by people talking about Jordan and Cian's mission, the 33 marathons in 33 days, and the powerful message it sent as regards raising awareness and the call for greater research into, and understanding of, FTD. I thank them for all of their work. They have been an incredible inspiration.

Almost 70,000 people in this country live with dementia. While many of us think of it as an older person's condition, it is important to say that there quite a number of people out there suffering from early onset dementia. There is also Korsakoff syndrome, Huntington's disease, posterior cortical atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and Lewy body disease. Those who have these lesser known or less familiar conditions sometimes have an enormous uphill battle in trying to access diagnostics and then the appropriate level of services. While there are brilliant supports, such as dementia cafés, across many communities in this country, those under the age of 65 are often hidden from view. I particularly think of the 2,277 people under the age of 65 who are in nursing homes across this country. Some are there because of an acquired brain injury but many are there because of dementia-related conditions. We have to ask whether that is the appropriate place for them.

The critical issue in this discussion has to be the infrastructure of support for those suffering from dementia in Ireland. There is an enormous job of work to be done to ensure we have proper home care supports. I know the Minister of State takes a particular interest in that area. The provision of home care support packages across the country is very patchy. Here in Dublin, access is much easier, but in the south west and my own home county of Cork, it is extraordinarily difficult. If we are to allow people the dignity and independence of staying at home and afford them some sort of dignity as they deal with their condition, we must ensure that home care support packages are put in place. Part of this question relates to the model on which the State has relied up until now. There is huge reliance on private organisations and there have been a lot of issues in how some of those services have been delivered. We must look at increasing the number directly employed by the HSE in the sector.

The other key thing is that not everybody will be able to stay in their home. With regard to long-term residential care, there has been a 12% drop in the number of dementia-specific community beds over the past five years. There are now 353 beds, 332 of which are long-stay beds and 21 of which are respite beds. The number of respite places has doubled.

That is very welcome but it is obviously coming from an incredibly low base. For the people who I come across who are caring for their loved ones, not being able to access dementia supports is an enormous issue. I spoke earlier in the Dáil about the delayed transfers of care out of our hospitals. It reached 555 people yesterday. It is the highest on record in the year to date. We know that 602 of those people in the first four months of this year were waiting for clinically complex beds. Many of those people had dementia and they had nowhere to go out of our acute hospitals into more appropriate settings.

The other critical issue I want to raise today is access to social welfare so that when a person, in particular someone under the age of 65, does develop a dementia-related condition, there is an understanding. Again, far too many people have come to our office and other people's offices trying to access disability payments and have not been approved or have had enormous difficulty trying to get through the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to prove their condition and their inability to work. I have to ask that the Minister of State use his office to convey a greater understanding to others.

The last thing I want to say today is with regard to how health inequality applies to so many aspects of our health service. We know this with regard to the drugs that are out there. There are drugs that are being developed, which is fantastic, but we do not have the access. Many people do not have the access to the innovative drugs that are coming to market. In particular, I am thinking of lecanemab, which is privately available in Ireland but, of course, costs thousands of euro and is only available to those who can afford it. That is wrong. We need to change that. I know there is a cost associated with this but we need to make sure we can actually extend the quality of life of people with dementia in the years to come.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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At the outset, I would like to join, as everyone here has, in warmly welcoming to Leinster House Cian and Jordan Adams, the FTB brothers, and also Cian's partner, Helen, who played such a vital and key role in the whole 33 marathons in 33 days. They are most welcome. It was a remarkable fundraising odyssey and their extraordinary determination, resilience and love has inspired people across this country. They have undertaken this challenge in memory of their beloved mother, Geraldine, who sadly passed away at the young age of 52. They have not only raised awareness of dementia and led us to remember their mother but they have also raised vital funds that will be used in the battle against this awful disease. Their courage reminds us that behind every diagnosis is a family, a story and a community carrying both hope and heartache.

As we know, dementia is one of the greatest health and social care challenges facing this nation. It affects tens of thousands of people across every county and touches countless families who watch loved ones gradually lose memories, independence and, in many cases, a sense of self. Indeed, my own mother succumbed to Lewy body dementia just last November, so I and my family know about the major impact it has and that impact is profound, not only on those living with dementia but also on spouses, children, siblings and carers who provide unwavering support every single day.

While progress has been made, too many families still, unfortunately, face long wait lists for diagnosis, unequal access to specialist services and significant gaps in community supports. In many parts of the country, families are struggling to access respite care, home support hours, day services and specialist dementia care when they need it most. No family should feel abandoned at the point of diagnosis or be left to navigate this journey alone. I also want to pay tribute to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, ASI, which has done Trojan work and continues to do Trojan work right across the country in supporting families and those affected by this awful illness and disease. I ask the Minister of State to please commit to meeting with representatives from the Alzheimer Society of Ireland as they present their budget asks. The programme for Government commitment, in particular the statutory home care scheme, must be something we seriously look at bringing into being following its insertion in multiple programmes for Government. We have to commit to a system that prioritises early diagnosis and expands community-based supports and also strengthens respite services and ensures that adequate investment in dementia-specific residential care is also in place. We also have to recognise and support family carers. Their contribution, as we all know and has been stated multiple times, saves the State millions upon millions of euro in terms of their input into care of their loved ones. They also provide dignity and comfort for those loved ones. It has been said before that the measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable. People living with dementia deserve compassion, dignity and the highest standard of care. It is time for us to remember and honour their voices and support their families. We have to look to an island where no person who is facing dementia is left behind. We simply have to do better. I look forward to the Minister of State's commitment on this.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak today on dementia. Like many others, I want to extend a particularly warm welcome to Jordan and Cian Adams, the FTB Brothers. I commend them on all their fundraising work and advocacy. Today, we remember their beloved mother, Geraldine.

There are 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland today. Around 11,000 people receive a diagnosis every single year. There are 30 new cases every single day. By 2045, the estimated number will grow from 64,000 to approximately 150,000 people. Behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family and a story.

Before I go any further, I also want to acknowledge the fantastic work and advocacy of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, many of whom are in the Gallery today, including their CEO, Mr. Andy Heffernan, and the head of operations and community engagement, Ms Siobhan O'Connor. The ASI is the leading dementia-specific service provider in this country. Its staff, branches and, indeed, volunteers work in the heart of every single community right across the island. On behalf of the families of Dún Laoghaire in my constituency who they have supported, I want to thank them. I am also very proud to be a member of the all-party Oireachtas committee in the Oireachtas, ably led by Senator O'Loughlin and Deputy Lawlor. I thank and commend them on their work as well.

Some €21.27 million has been provided for new funding for dementia services since 2021, including a further €2.27 million in the budget of 2026. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on her advocacy, long before she took high office, in making sure the all-party Oireachtas committee operated here in the Oireachtas but also secured so much funding when she went into Government. There are now 60 dementia day care centres, 25 memory clinics and 37 dementia advisers across the country. Three memory assessment and support services are operated in Cavan-Monaghan, Mayo and Sligo and they saw almost 500 new patients last year. Seven more are committed to under the HSE national service plan for 2026. Four regional specialist memory clinics saw over 1,400 new patients in 2025, with a fifth to open in north Dublin. The national dementia registry will be piloted next year, which is very welcome news. This year, a minimum of 22% of all new home support hours will go to people with dementia or a cognitive impairment, up 20% on last year. That is real, measurable progress.

I want to speak about what it looks like in my constituency in Dún Laoghaire. It is the home of the finest dementia services in the country. We have St. Joseph's Centre in Shankill, which is Ireland's only care home dedicated to people living with dementia. It is home to 60 residents living in six household-style lodges rather than hospital wards. It is a very special place. Its daycare club welcomes 24 people every day and it provides much needed respite for family carers. It also runs Buddy's Place café, which I had the pleasure of attending when it opened. Anyone who visits St. Joseph's, as I have, will know it is not an institution. It is a home to those residents. In Blackrock, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland runs the Orchard Respite Centre out of Temple Road, providing dementia-specific care and overnight respite alongside the society's national coffee'n'chat and freephone helpline. The Southside Partnership's living well with dementia programme has also been running since 2012. It is funded by the HSE. Its Sweet Memories Choir, exercise classes, bridge club and arts group keep people connected to their community and it is supported by almost 40 volunteers. Its motto says it all: "See the person, not their Dementia". Those service are complemented by the HSE's Memory Harbour, which is run by occupational therapists across our local health centres and the memory clinic at St. Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown. This is what good community dementia care looks like - diagnosis, daycare, respite home support and social connection, and all close to where people live. Our task is to make that standard everywhere. I know the Minister of State is committed to that. For all the progress, families tell me the same three things: daycare places are limited, there are caring waiting lists and respite is scarce.

Too many people wait for too long. The ASI pre-budget submission seeks €8.23 million to expand day care, home care and young onset supports. It is a costed, practical, reasonable support. I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government. I also ask the Minister of State to meet the ASI as soon as possible and to make progress on its pre-budget submission. I also ask that the next phase of the memory assessment and support services reaches the east coast so that people in Dún Laoghaire and across our region can access diagnosis and post-diagnostic support in their own community. In October, Dublin will host the Alzheimer Europe conference during Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union and over 1,200 delegates will come to our capital. Let us use that moment to show that Ireland leads on dementia in policy, in research and, above all, in care.

Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge Jordan and Cian for coming here for the statements. Helen is here also, along with Jordan's wife Agnes and their dad who has been such a major part of the journey so far. Deputy Sherlock said they are an inspiration. They have been an inspiration to us in Ireland, in bringing the area of dementia to the floor of our national Parliament. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for making sure these statements happened prior to the summer recess.

When I think of dementia I think of my mother, Eilish. It was mentioned that about 30 cases are diagnosed per day. My mother was one of those 30 cases and I remember the day, a day I will never forget, when we were told. I still vividly remember during the Covid pandemic when I went to visit her with my son and, for the first time, she did not recognise me. That was a difficult day, but she got the best of care in St. Joseph's care centre in Longford. When we were hit with the news as a family, I chatted with my brother and sister and the first phone call we made was to Breda Dunne, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland representative in Longford, Eileen Kilbride and everyone there. We got comfort from talking to someone who knew it, lived it every day and worked in that area. I will always be grateful for their compassion.

I also thank the members of the ASI in the Gallery today for all the work they do. I look forward to working with the group led by George and Fiona under the tutelage of their new chairperson, Cathy Reynolds, another proud Longford woman who has done so much in this area in memory of her late mam and her dad, Albert Reynolds. Earlier we were looking at the portrait of Albert Reynolds in the Taoiseach's gallery. I look forward to working with the group. I also think today of Mary Brazil in Ballinamuck who is Cathy's mam's cousin whom I know quite well. We think of her and her family. I know two of her siblings and her dad both died at a very young age.

I ask the Minister of State to support the ASI, and I know he will. We have a briefing document and that has been spelled out. I will not repeat the requests made but they are needed. People with Alzheimer's and their families throughout the country deserve to be supported by the State. Statutory home care is in the programme for Government. It is something we have been working on for a number of years. I look forward to progressing that over the term of this Government so that we can have it in place.

I also acknowledge the carers who look after our loved ones at home. I know we have had a big jump in the carer's allowance only in the last number of days with the change to the income disregard. It is in the programme for Government that we will get to a point where we will financially look after those who care for our loved ones.

We also need to look at the area of research. We need to put the supports in place. We need to support families, persons with dementia and the dementia organisations. We also need to continue to invest in research to stop this condition being so prevalent. Some programmes are in place in the UK and some families from Ireland are travelling to the UK to take part in studies. I would like that research to take place here in Ireland as well. In the budget we need to provide tax breaks or incentives to incentivise companies to invest the necessary resources in further research so that we can stop this disease or give longer life and a better quality to anyone who may acquire the condition. We want to get to a point where we will have a drug available and that nobody will get FTD. We need to get to a point where we have a drug for dementia that will provide a quality of life. That needs to happen sooner rather than later.

I ask the Government to support the ASI in its demands. We should put in place financial supports through the budget to support companies to do the research here to find the drugs that can stop this disease which takes so many of our loved ones away. Once again, I use the word inspiration. That is what Jordan, Cian, Helen, Agnes and their dad have been to people in this country. We are here to support them on the journey as it goes forward.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Every day in Ireland, 30 new cases of dementia are diagnosed. Yesterday, there were 30 new cases of dementia and tomorrow there will be a further 30 new cases of dementia. That initial diagnosis is absolutely devastating for every family. Having one person with that diagnosis impacts the whole family. That shows the importance of having dementia advisers in place. Between 2016 and 2020, I co-chaired the all-party committee with the former Senator, Colette Kelleher. At that stage, we had about eight dementia advisers in the country. I believe we now have 37. The difference they have made to every person who gets that diagnosis cannot be underestimated.

When people get a dementia diagnosis they are devastated. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to dementia. Dementia advisers wrap their arms around the patient and the family. They give advice that is tailored to the individual and they also support the family. We know that an awful lot of older people in Ireland with dementia, including my own godfather, can live very well in their own communities with the wrap-around supports of the 62 specific day centres that we have. Some of them still go to the other 320-odd day centres around the country until it comes to a stage when it is just not suitable any more.

Day care support in the home is an absolutely amazing facility to have. During the Covid pandemic, I was delighted to partner with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I acknowledge many of its members who are here today, including Andy, Kathy, Siobhán and Kevin Quaid who has been doing advocacy in relation to Lewy body dementia for many years. During the pandemic, day centres were closed because of Covid. People with dementia were at home and could not leave the house but we were able to fund day services in the home. My aunt gets a block of three hours on a Wednesday morning and she is able to go to the golf club. Those three hours are precious to her because she is living this 24-7 with her beloved husband, my godfather. Having those wrap-around supports is absolutely vital. We cannot underestimate how important they are. When someone gets a diagnosis they have an adviser, who is invaluable. I cannot say that often enough. They have dementia-specific support.

We now have up to 62 days centres. Only in the last week, I was delighted to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, down to Cappoquin in west Waterford where, working with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, we opened another day service which is open three days a week. This provides a specific day of respite for families of someone with dementia. Their loved one can go there from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., which gives them the vital respite they need. The importance of that is that we already have the premises.

We are using the physical capacity we have, which we can expand. We are able to deliver that service for 40,000 for a whole year, one day a week, in a premises we already have.

I want to talk briefly about the partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I have partnered with many organisations. Six years ago last week, I was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for older people and mental health and I my role now is as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health. We have to partner with our NGOs, and one of the best partnerships I have experienced has been with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I cannot compliment it enough on the work it does because every single cent that goes to the organisation from the budget is spent on services. There is no fuss, no frills and no fancy, just the services people need.

The Minister knows very well that the importance of having ring-fenced, specific funding cannot be underestimated. I have just come from Ballyfermot, where I opened an early intervention in psychosis team, our tenth team. The reason that was opened was because it was ring-fenced, specific funding that was not spent on anything else. I was the Minister of State in 2020 who made dementia supports critical, ring-fenced and specific. The money could not be used for any other reason, other than for those services only. We have to continue to do that, and I know the Minister will do so.

I give a shout-out to Jordan and Cian Adams, who are here today with their family remembering their beloved mother, Geraldine. She would be so proud of them today. I guarantee she is looking down on them and thanking them, as do I, for all the advocacy they are doing for every single person around the world, especially here in Ireland, who is living with dementia because it is not easy.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate Cian and Jordan on the work they have done, as well as all the people who have helped them. They have done important work highlighting this issue, and it is extremely important that we speak openly and highlight the challenges.

Dementia is one of the health and social challenges facing Ireland today, with more than 69,000 people in the country currently living with the condition. That number is going to increase, as has been outlined. Behind every diagnosis is not only an individual but also a family, a carer and a community adapting to the realities of a progressive condition that changes lives forever. There are over 200 different types of dementia. When I was working as a solicitor I had to deal many times with families who had a family member with dementia where I had to try to sort out the legal issues arising from the person having dementia. For instance, I had a case involving a widow living with her daughter who had an intellectual disability. She did not have other children and both of them were living on tea and biscuits for a long period before it came to my attention. The lady had been admitted to hospital and the only thing she could talk about was playing camogie with Ballygarvan in 1935. She knew everything about what happened in 1935 but not what was going on around her there and then.

Progress has been made in recent years. The national dementia strategy and HSE dementia model of care have helped place dementia hire on the national agenda. The expansion of memory assessment and support services, specialist memory clinics, dementia advisers and community-based supports has improved access to care and support for many people and their families. However, despite this progress, there are still challenges that must be addressed. Across Ireland, too many people continue to face delays in diagnosis, unequal access to services and uncertainty about where to turn following a diagnosis. For many families, receiving a diagnosis is only the beginning of a long and often difficult journey. While medical care is essential, dementia is about far more than healthcare. It affects housing, transport, employment, social participation and financial security.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, in a public consultation on the cost of disability, has highlighted a reality that is too often overlooked, namely, the significant financial burden associated with dementia. People living with dementia and their families frequently face additional costs related to care, healthcare, transport, home adaptations and day-to-day living. Some report exhausting their savings, postponing healthcare appointments or making difficult decisions about their future because of financial pressures. The challenge can be particularly acute for the 5,200 people living with young, onset dementia. Many receive a diagnosis before the age of 65, at a stage in life when they may still be working, raising children, paying a mortgage or supporting a family. The loss of employment and income can cause a profound financial shock at precisely the moment when additional support is most needed.

These realities remind us that dementia must be viewed not only through a healthcare lens, but also through the lens of disability rights, social inclusion and economic security. As Ireland reviews its national dementia policy, we have an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive response, one that reflects the full lived experience of people with dementia and those who care for them. The response should be focused on early diagnosis, equitable access to services, stronger supports for family carers, dementia-inclusive communities and measures that address the financial impact of living with dementia. It should also ensure the voices of people living with dementia, their families and advocacy organisations remain central to policymaking.

Dementia is not a future challenge, but a present reality for tens of thousands of people across Ireland. The question is whether our policies, services and supports are keeping pace with this reality. The progress achieved to date provides the foundation, but the scale of this challenge requires greater urgency, sustained investment and a clear, long-term vision.

In 2011, there were 600,000 people over the age of 65. That figure is now 860,000 and within three years, there will be over 1 million people aged over 65. Challenges will come very fast and we need to respond accordingly, ensuring we have adequate services to support the individuals affected, as well as the families caring for them.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I too commend the amazing work of Jordan and Cian Adams on their incredible journey. Doing 33 marathons in the space of 33 days is an incredible feat. I have done one marathon in 52 years and it is more than enough for me. Raising that level of funds and awareness throughout the country is absolutely amazing, and it reminds us that in this country, people have the power and one or two individuals can change the world in a range of different ways. Sometimes we forget individuals can be the source of major change in this country.

I also pay tribute to their Jordan and Cian's sister, Kennedy, for all the work she has done in organising their campaign. I offer the three siblings my deepest sympathies on the loss of their mother, Geraldine, at such a young age. Their campaign has created an enormous legacy for their mother and they have delivered the most incredible tribute that any family could deliver for their mother. I join the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in saying there is no doubt their mother is looking down on them with enormous pride in what they have achieved.

Early onset dementia is a serious blow and challenge. I urge the Government to do all it can for research and development. Like many others, I also have loved ones in my family who have suffered from dementia. It is an enormous challenge; there is no doubt about that. Dementia significantly changes many aspects of that individual. It is called the long goodbye and, over time, family members feel they are losing certain aspects of their loved one. The truth is that their essence is always there. It is important to remember that. Dementia gradually takes away memory, confidence and independence and affects the person's ability to drive, manage finances and stay connected with the world and community. It also profoundly affects spouses, sons, daughters, neighbours and friends who also have to deal with the condition.

It is important to remember, however, that many people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease can be very happy in themselves. Sometimes, it is the people around the individual who suffer more from the experience. I am very lucky that in our case the individual who has Alzheimer's is not anxious or stressed and does not have those difficulties.

We would be lost in our family if it was not for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and the amazing work that it does. My family member attends the Alzheimer society daily and gets enormous support, love, care and treatment from the Alzheimer society, and would be lost without it, as would the family. It is a pivotal element of that person's care.

Home care remains the backbone of dementia support. It allows for people to remain familiar in their surroundings. It connects them to their family and their community.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I would like to take the opportunity to speak on this issue which affects thousands of families across this country, many in my own constituency. Dementia is not just a health issue. It is a family issue, a community issue, and a societal issue. Behind every diagnosis is a person whose life has changed and has a spouse, son, daughter, neighbour or friend who is adapting to new responsibilities and challenges. In County Laois, we know the reality of this challenge. It is estimated that we have 800 people in Laois who are living with dementia. Given demographic changes and our ageing population, that number is very likely to grow.

I acknowledge the vital role played by local facilities in Laois, including St. Vincent's Community Nursing Unit in Mountmellick, which provides care for older people, including people with dementia and complex care needs. I also recognise the contribution of St. Brigid's Hospital in Shaen, County Laois, which provides long-term residential care and supports for people with dementia, palliative care, and respite needs. These facilities, together with healthcare workers, carers, and families, provide essential services to our community. I want to take this opportunity to invite to the Minister of State to visit these excellent facilities in Laois, to meet the staff, residents and family and to see at first hand their outstanding work.

An area where we continue to see significant pressure is in respite care for families caring for a loved one. It is a vital support in continuing to provide care at home while also protecting their own health and well-being. Families are waiting too long for respite placements and carers are reaching crisis point before support becomes available. In Laois, we have Abbeyleix Community Nursing Unit available to provide respite care for the whole of our county. There are nine respite beds for the entirety of County Laois. We must ensure that respite capacity keeps pace with demand. This requires investment in dedicated respite beds, community services, and appropriate supports. Supporting family carers reduces pressure on hospitals and residential care services. We must also strengthen palliative and end-of-life care for people living with dementia by ensuring specialist services work closely with community teams, residential settings, and family carers.

Families also need support during this difficult time. Improving early diagnosis and access to dementia-specific supports is essential. Early intervention allows people and families to plan, to access supports sooner, and to maintain independence for as long as possible. Community supports are particularly important in rural counties such as Laois. Transport accessibility and proximity to services can have a major impact on whether people can continue to live well in their own community. The message from families is very clear that people living with dementia want to remain connected to their communities and families want to know what else is available when they need it.

Government must continue to invest in dementia services through the whole-of-government approach. Dementia policy must be about supporting people to live with dignity and maintaining their quality of life. Our responsibility as legislators is to ensure that no family feels alone after a dementia diagnosis. By investing in community services, respite care, and supports for carers, we can build a system that respects the dignity of people living with dementia and their families.

I pay tribute to the many family carers across Laois and the many support groups and volunteers working in this area. Their contribution is huge. They provide care every single day, often behind closed doors and without recognition. I join everybody else here today in acknowledging Jordan and Cian Adams in the Public Gallery and commend them on their huge achievement. People like them bring attention to dementia.

This is my first time since being elected to Dáil Éireann that I have addressed this House on a question like this where not only is there one Minister but there are three present. I thank the Ministers of State for that because that shows the interest that this Government has in providing services for families and people with dementia.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Cuirfidh mé tús le m'óráid leis an méid ar chríochnaigh an Teachta Aird leis. Molaim an tAire Stáit go bhfuil sé anseo le linn na díospóireachta ar fad. Tá sé anseo ag fanacht. Ní dheachaigh sé amach as an Seomra. Taispeánann sé an meas atá aige ar an ábhar agus an méid cúraim atá air agus ar a bheirt chomhghleacaithe taobh thiar de go bhfuil siad ag fanacht linn chomh maith le haghaidh na díospóireachta ar fad. Is maith an rud é sin.

I am glad of the opportunity to participate in the debate. These debates, where we focus on one particular issue, allow us to inform ourselves better about the issues impacting on people who suffer from dementia and indeed their loved ones and families. I recall on one occasion attending the funeral of a father of a friend of mine. I had been aware that the deceased man had been diagnosed with dementia some years earlier. When I expressed my condolences to my friend, his response really struck me. He said that this was the second time they had lost their father. I said I was struck by that, and it brought home to me the emotional challenge for a family of seeing a loved one suffering from dementia. I commend the contributions of Deputies Carrigy, Tóibín and Lawlor, who related their personal stories to us. I thought they were very powerful.

I welcome much of what the Minister of State said about the Government's commitment to assist patients and their families. I welcome the funding provided to open memory assessment and support services. One of those services is proposed for Galway and I look forward to it opening, please God, in 2026. Galway will also be the location of one of two new regional specialist memory clinics. Development of these two services appear to be on time in their provision and they are very welcome, and I hope to see both of these new services leading to enhanced treatment and better health outcomes for patients diagnosed with dementia in my county and indeed the greater western region.

In the correspondence we received from members of the community and advocates in the lead-up to this debate, there has been a focus on the provision of home care support. For most people living with dementia, as we heard from many contributors, the overwhelming wish of people is to remain in their own home, in familiar surroundings with their families and loved ones. Families want to support that wish for their own loved ones and I know that across the House, Government and Opposition want to support this. Our health service should be structured to support that. However, in the correspondence that we have received, concerns have emerged regarding the availability of HSE home support services. Emails indicate that funding has been exhausted in some areas, resulting in new home support packages being delayed, restricted, or prioritised only for those assessed as having the most acute clinical needs. These concerns are not new to us. In my constituency office, like many others I am sure, we get frequent correspondence from families who are seeking home care hours. One challenge for these agencies appears to be the attraction and retention of staff. If we can look at training more people in this area and promoting this as a profession, it might help.

A concern has been brought to my attention but I do not want to imply wrongdoing on anyone's behalf. A family asked me to get clarity. They were provided with home care hours to be provided by a private company. That company advised the family that it did not have the staff to provide the care. The family told me they were concerned that despite not receiving the care, the company may still be receiving the money from the HSE. As I said, I do not want to imply any wrongdoing but it is a fair point and fair question that needs some clarity. If the Minister of State could provide clarity, I would appreciate it.

I would like to advocate for the community-based home care services and provision. I mention one such community organisation in my constituency, Connemara Care, which provides home care and support for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with dementia. I would love to see Government policy creating a system that favours and promotes the community care model, such as that offered by Connemara Care, where many of the people calling to provide the care are neighbours or people well-known to the person who needs the care. It is a lovely model. We must be conscious that not all families or situations will be suitable for home care support.

In a similar manner to what we were hearing in relation to the available hours of home care support, my constituency office is contacted frequently by families seeking nursing home care. In my constituency, we need to increase the number of community nursing beds. Moves are afoot to maximise the capacity of Áras Mhic Dara at An Cheathrú Rua - in fairness, the Minister of State pushed that and I welcome it - by recruiting additional staff. This is welcome, although I point out that the recruitment process is not straightforward. It seems to be quite complex and difficult to recruit the staff. The HSE is also progressing a new 40-bed community nursing unit at St. Anne's in Clifden, which will include ten dementia-specific beds. Again, this is very welcome.

I want to discuss the building of a new 60-bed community nursing unit at Merlin Park Hospital campus in Galway. This facility will provide 60 single en suite bedrooms. It will be a state-of-the-art, top-class facility, including a ten-bed dementia unit. My understanding is that this unit has been developed to replace the existing unit 5 and unit 6 at Merlin Park, which I understand are to be decommissioned. I would like that to be reviewed. I have a direct plea that we retain units 5 and 6 for the additional capacity of community nursing beds that would provide. These units are currently operating well. The buildings seem to be in good condition. One of them provides short-term respite care and the other provides longer term care. I know some of the staff, and I believe that local HSE officials would like to see the buildings retained for community nursing beds. I ask the Minister of State that we look at that.

Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Carrigy for instigating this session this afternoon. I also welcome our visitors in the Gallery. The contribution of family carers, home support workers, volunteers, community cafés such as Dunshaughlin Pastoral Centre, Yvonne here in the restaurant and Friday club, while not specifically an Alzheimer's service, does fantastic work along with Ratoath Community Centre and advocacy groups such as ASI. They are crucial supports to people living with dementia. I must not forget Whistlemount Day Centre in Navan for the phenomenal support it provides.

However, it is worrying that the number of people living with dementia is projected to approximately double in the next 20 years. There is a deficit of health data. The services and supports must be planned and budgeted for. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and his predecessor, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on their actions to date and their plans going forward. They are highly commendable.

I will try to be proactive and hopeful. I will share with the House the fifth and lesser known pillar of health. The results of decades of scientific studies explain why the arts, alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature are the forgotten fifth pillar of health. In the past 20 years, dozens of studies on cognitive leisure activities, including doing crafts, learning musical instruments and engaging in cultural pursuits, including listening to music and singing, have shown a relationship with better preservation of cognition and reduced risk of cognitive problems, as manifest in dementia. The reduction is significant - around 30% for developing cognitive impairment, 23% for all-cause dementia and 34% for Alzheimer's disease. Arts are linked to demonstrable neurological changes in the brain, lower deposits of amyloid beta, and lower numbers of lesions in the white matter of the brain. A total of 85% of people want to live at home for as long as possible if they are diagnosed with dementia.

There are simple interventions for temporal orientation. Using colour, matt finishes on floor surfaces, playing birdsong in the morning and calming music in the evening can all reduce confusion related to spatial orientation, falls, aggression and violence, and can perhaps reduce the need for antipsychotic medication. These can all be incorporated into the design of age-friendly homes. I raise intergenerational music sessions, and we spoke about young people and their involvement earlier. These are also pivotal. It could be listening only, listening and singing, singing along or watching a choir. These will all help improve the multiple memory systems from episodic, semantic to implicit memory. There is a US health study - I cannot put my finger on the exact journal reference - that has shown that for every $1 invested in music therapy, $2.4 is saved in support costs.

I will happily refer the Minister of State to an excellent book called Art cure. I have referenced it in this House previously. I have no commercial interest or otherwise in it but it is an excellent reference source. It is the science of how the arts transform our health by professor of psychobiology at University College London, Daisy Fancourt. It is a combination of approaches that I believe are required, as well as cross-community involvement, which has been so ably demonstrated by Cian and Jordan and their phenomenal support team, no doubt inspired by their dear mum looking on from above them as many have referenced.

I thank colleagues for their contributions as well. It is seldom that we share moments of shared learning and empathy in the cut and thrust of politics.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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We are ahead of time. There has been a request from the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, to speak for two minutes, with the agreement of the House. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I am delighted to speak today. I welcome Jordan and Cian. I met them in Carlow a few weeks ago when they came to Barrow Brew and had a cup of coffee with me. It is important. When I met the two of them, I was so impressed because they were so passionate about the awareness of dementia. They spoke about their mammy. As everyone has said today, we are all here united in the fact that we need to make sure that we are working, highlighting and funding dementia. We talk about our family carers or family members. I am involved with the community supports. We have community cafés. We have our day centres and our partnerships with the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. These also play a huge role for families as well. I attend meetings regularly in my own area in Bethany House, which plays a huge role. I compliment it on its good work. I also attended a public meeting two weeks ago in Leighlinbridge. They did a report on dementia, the age groups and a pathway forward. It is positive that this is happening now. I think this will happen all over the country. I feel Jordan and Cian have played a huge role in that. Everywhere I went, the two were mentioned, which was a good tribute to them for their commitment and dedication to raising awareness of this and how we can move forward on this.

We must also plan for our ageing population. It worries me about those with early onset dementia. We have to be more focused on the supports for that age group because early onset can be absolutely rapid and time is of the essence. I came into the Chamber today to say I am thrilled and honoured that I met Jordan and Cian. They should keep up the good work. This is something that is important and that families will benefit from. I know it from working with the two Ministers of State. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, over the years, was passionate and worked hard on the funding. I know the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will do the same. It is all about getting our services together with the pathway. Good work is being done. Well done to everyone.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I want to do justice to the debate. I want to deal with the issues that people raised. I want to give an idea of what my vision is on dementia. I have a vision and an actual view on what we need to do. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, did great work in the role but there are certain things I want to do structurally. I want people to have an idea of what I have in mind. The FTD brothers, Jordan and Cian, Helen, their dad, Glenn, and Jordan's wife, Agnes, have done something unique. Every so often someone makes that impact, and they made that impact. They made it particularly with the younger cohort. I saw it with my own family. They are in their late 20s, and all they could speak about was Jordan and Cian. It is social media and everything else but they resonated and it was intergenerational.

Our ultimate objective here is to ensure we look after people with dementia and their families.

Where do we look after that - at diagnosis level? That is why we need the national dementia register up and running. It is critical. We need empirical data and we do not have it at the moment. That is why I fast-forwarded this last year.

Second, I want the memory assessment clinics to be rolled out. Three are open and I want to see the other seven running and get more because we will get diagnosis and a structured system. The regional clinics, which are specialist, are very much in the space for young onset dementia, which is a growing area. The programme for Government includes supports for early onset dementia and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland has a key role to play in that regard. In some ways there is a contradiction in terms. With an early diagnosis, we have a better chance of ensuring people can live a good life.

Kevin Quaid, a Limerick man, is in the Gallery. He is living with the disease. That lived experience is important.

We then have to provide the services. The central person in this debate is the person with dementia and their family. Just because someone gets dementia does not mean they are not going to continue to live their life – they are - but we have to ensure we understand how it impacts them. We have to provide the services like respite. Home support was mentioned in the debate in a number of contributions. This was a very good, robust and genuine debate. Most people had had some connection to someone with dementia and the impact on their lives.

One of the programme for Government commitments was to design a statutory home care scheme, so I sat down and looked at it. It is not something abstract. We have to do a focused body of work on it. It has to be a process. The first thing I wanted to do was get the home support providers Bill 2025 through. That is the first step. We cannot have a statutory home care scheme unless we regulate the sector. It is unregulated. We now have the legislation through. It is the first critical step in moving towards a statutory home care scheme.

Deputy Connolly referred to the practical aspect. We have given the HSE funding to recruit 257 additional home support workers. I want them to be recruited and the HSE is doing that. I am having ongoing meetings with the HSE to try to reduce the number of vacant posts but it is an issue of getting the staff. They do great work. This is something we want. They need replacements but there is funding for 257 additional posts.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, ASI, does great work. We will interact with it in the normal way in the budgetary process. We will not agree on everything - as I have said many times, if we gave the ASI everything, neither of us would be doing our jobs - but it has a key role to play. I have to operate within a budgetary system and a budgetary cycle. What the ASI has done with the day centres is brilliant. Many of its advisers are in the young onset dementia space. Day care at home is coming up a lot. I want to do more in that space. It is a great service. When I sat down and spoke to Jordan, Cian and Helen, Jordan described what it was like for them when their mother was diagnosed and the impact it had on the family, with day care at home and respite. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, spoke about designated funding. Care Family Ireland is now a dedicated line of funding for respite. It is something we have to do.

The area of new medicines was raised. That is hugely important. We have spoken about how, without the drugs, you can look at risk factors and reduce them but we are living in an age when drugs are coming on stream very quickly, thankfully. Two disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease, lecanemab and donanemab, have received regulatory approval in Europe and their manufacturers have applied to the HSE to have them considered for public reimbursement in Ireland. A full health technology assessment of lecanemab is being undertaken by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, while a full HCA submission for donanemab is awaited from its manufacturer. Deputies will appreciate that under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for making decisions on which medicines are reimbursed from the funds available to it. The Department and Minister are not involved in this process and cannot instruct the HSE to make a positive or negative decision. Those drugs are coming on stream.

In addition to these disease-modifying therapies, a blood test that was approved in May 2026 can rule both in and out Alzheimer’s disease pathology. It is intended for people who attend specialist services with symptoms such as memory problems. It is not a screening test for healthy people without symptoms. This test will be available in Ireland by the end of the year and in many cases could replace lumbar puncture as a means of confirming Alzheimer’s disease pathology. That will make a big difference. Something that came from Jordan and Cian, and more particularly from Helen Jolly, Cian’s partner, was the genetic frontotemporal initiative, GENFI. We will look at that space. No one has a fountain of knowledge. If we can work with GENFI, which is based in a London university, and become part of that research, that would be great. It is all about getting synergies; it is not about operating in isolation. We owe it to people with dementia to put that place as well as the day-to-day measures, which are so important.

I attended the HSE’s Dementia: Understand Together campaign launch with the GAA and the five McCague sisters, who were speaking about their father, the former president of the GAA Seán McCague. They were speaking about their late mother, who looked after their dad, and about the impact. A couple of things came across really well there, including the fact people with dementia need to be kept involved. People may say they are afraid they will interfere. You have to work around the person with dementia and what they want. They want to be involved and to go to their local GAA or community club and to have people visiting. This is all hugely important. Studies on longevity show that a key element is connection and connectivity.

A lot of people mentioned carers. We have a commitment in the programme for Government that by the end of the lifetime of the Government, the means test will no longer apply. We have made significant increases in the disregard for people receiving carer’s allowance. The work that carers do is incalculable. It is phenomenal work. In many cases they are working with people with dementia. My vision for dementia care is, first, that we support the fantastic day-to-day work of groups like the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, Western Alzheimer and community groups the length and breadth of Ireland. We will look at home support and then we need a dementia register and move towards statutory home care. I take Deputy Toole’s point about rolling out music therapy. We are doing work in that space. Fundamentally, the Government’s abiding objective is to ensure that people with dementia can continue living in their own homes with their families and supports.

Once again, I thank Jordan, Cian and Helen for being here today. It is hugely important. There were great contributions. I look forward to our continued engagement. Collaboratively we will work to battle dementia.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I also welcome Jordan and Cian and their family and thank them for coming to tell us their family's story. They have been an inspiration country-wide. While that concludes the statements, I think I say on behalf of all Members that it does only that. Jordan and Cian and their family have left a lasting impression on the Members of Dáil Éireann.