John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Sometimes old age is seen as a burden. Others think the accumulated benefits of aging, such as knowledge, experience and wisdom, mean it is not a burden but something that is welcome and necessary. As a society, as people and as policy makers, we must acknowledge our attitudes to aging and see where the fit into the dichotomy of views on aging. This takes on an increasing importance as our population ages. It is unhelpful to think of elderly people as a homogenous group. I know a man in Glanmire named Joe who celebrated his 90th birthday on Saturday night last. He still cuts grass using his ride-on mower. As a psychiatric nurse, I have spent a long time looking after elderly people and those who suffer with mental health issues. There are people in their early 60s who do not enjoy the benefits of good health. It is important, therefore, that we do not lump everyone together in a homogenous group and state that all of those who are elderly have the same needs.

There is no family in the country that does not experience the joy of living with a parent or a relative who is becoming increasingly elderly. In parallel to the aging process comes the decline in people's health, etc. It is important that we put the needs of elderly people at the top of our policy agenda. There has been a recent move in that direction. We see it in the Bill that was debated last week in the Dáil on increasing the age of retirement. The Minister of State has also placed the fair deal scheme at the top of the political agenda. She has made great moves in terms of delivering in this area and that fact must be acknowledged.

Many families, including my own, have required the assistance of the State. An elderly, widowed relative of mine was happily living alone until we started noticing some declines in her health. For example, she would forget to eat her dinner some days. In hindsight, these were signs of the onset of Alzheimer's disease. They were not recognised, of course, although one would think I, as a psychiatric nurse, would have been able to spot them. However, the onset of the disease can be insidious and slow and it can go unnoticed. The onset of the disease required that pathway of care for my relative be put in place. It is interesting that it was generally a good experience for us. The main initial concern of my elderly relative was terrible because it was loneliness. It was not a specific illness or disability but loneliness is debilitating. I know the Minister of State understands this point.

This relative came to live with us but we needed support. The voluntary sector offers fantastic support in this regard. The services offered by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and the Carers Association are fantastic if, unfortunately, limited given the demands on their time and resources. We used the private sector extensively. I will mention one group called Home Instead. The service offered was wonderful and affordable because, although a private organisation, tax reliefs were available. This relative only had her pension but she could afford 20 hours a week of someone from Home Instead coming and sitting with her, minding her and chatting with her. At the end of the year, marginal rate tax relief was available which set us up nicely for the following year. We should consider extending the tax relief on such schemes or we should find some other mechanism. We were lucky that we could afford to do it. A large number of people cannot afford it, which is unfair. Is there some way it could be extended, be it by means of the tax system or otherwise? I am not saying we should replace the statutory and voluntary bodies but we should allow the private sector to complement what is being done. In doing so, we would relieve some of the burdens placed on the State's resources.

We had a negative experience when my elderly relative had to go to hospital. She fell one night and injured her shoulder. We had a very poor experience at the accident and emergency department. The accident and emergency services are always topical, but the service was very unsatisfactory. Once she was in the system, however, the service was fantastic. Access to the system was the problem. After she was patched up and came home, she was grand and decided, in consultation with us, that her needs would be best met in a nursing home. We applied for the fair deal scheme and got a place in a short space of time. It was a place here in Dublin which I will mention because I was so impressed with the level of care. It is called Kiltipper Woods and is located beyond Rathfarnham. The level of care was fantastic. I tell this story by way of illustrating the way the private and public sectors can complement each other. We should be looking at all opportunities to see what we can do to join seamlessly the public, private and voluntary sectors. There is huge scope. The Minister is active in this area herself and it is something she is sympathetic towards, for which I commend her, but it is such a difficulty for people facing the challenge of finding the best care for elderly relatives. Of course, we should not speak passively of the elderly because they have to be participants and partners in their care.

This is a really good motion which allows us a good opportunity to express many views. I thank the Senators for tabling the motion, which the Government will not be opposing.