Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are aware of the dramatic rise in those aged 65 and older. If we put party politics aside, everybody wants that we care appropriately for older people. I do not believe there is anybody in this Chamber who does not want that. We cannot just speak about bed capacity but rather community capacity and how we can enable that capacity. From my perspective, every time there is a cut, community capacity suffers. I have met many older people who cannot find a place in a nursing home or in a community. They may have been in rented accommodation or their current home needs adaption and there are questions as to whether they will last long enough to make it worth adapting that home. Given all that, there is a need to resource and support community care, to ensure that people feel secure and safe, that the State cares for older people and that we have a strategy not only for bed places, but community capacity and how to ensure they work together. As life comes and ebbs and flows, and as the need arises, a nursing home must be available, but equally community care and the supports they must be in place to support people as they age, as all of us will hopefully age and be looking for those supports.