Seanad debates

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage

 

9:30 am

Photo of Robbie GallagherRobbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Senators Carrigy and Kyne on sharing their personal experiences this afternoon. The Minister of State is always very welcome to the House, but she is particularly welcome this evening with this legislation. I compliment her on introducing this very significant Bill. She and I spoke about the matter when she was first appointed. It is very important to many people. She deserves great credit for ensuring the Bill has been brought to the House in an expeditious manner. I compliment her on that.

I also acknowledge the work of the previous Minister of State, Jim Daly, who is a gentleman. I had the pleasure of him responding to two Commencement matters I had raised on the issue in the previous Seanad. I know the sincerity he had in trying to progress this.

This is definitely a good news day. A three-year cap will now be placed on farm assets or business assets of any kind. As someone who was born and reared on a small farm, I know that sometimes it is a labour of love and does not provide any great financial gain. In many ways the cost of maintaining land may exceed any income it might provide. Five of us were reared on 20 acres of land in Donegal, not far from where Senator Blaney lives.

I know the trauma and stress families face when a loved one needs to go into a nursing home. For some families where income is limited the costs can be excessive. I know of some people who had to sell land which was a very painful undertaking because that land might have been in the family for generations. To be forced to dispose of it to pay for a loved one in care is very traumatic for any family.

I acknowledge others, including the farm organisations, particularly the IFA, who played a role in trying to progress the matter. Age Action was also very much to the fore in trying to find a solution.

For some families the nursing home is the only option for long-term care. Nursing homes deserve great credit for the role they have played in trying circumstances during the battle with Covid. I acknowledge the role they played in that regard. I also acknowledge the role of the Minister of State played in trying to steer those nursing homes through that very traumatic and stressful time for many people.

As Senator Mullen outlined in his contribution, the population is ageing and caring for the elderly will put greater financial pressure on the Exchequer in the future. In an ideal world, everyone would stay within their own family home, in their own community where their friends and connections are. In some cases, unfortunately, there is no other show in town but the nursing home. We are lucky to have them and they do an excellent job.

If possible, every effort should be made to try to ensure that a person would be able to stay within their own home for as long as they would wish and for as long as they are medically fit to do so. The home help service is excellent. I welcome that significantly more funding has been allocated to that sector in recent times. Every penny spent on that is money well spent. Those few hours of home help are saving the State a fortune. In some cases, it might be only 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and 20 or 30 minutes in the evening. There is great scope to expand that scheme much further and to increase the role that those who call to people's houses might undertake.

The last time the Minister of State and I discussed this issue during a Commencement debate, she said she was working to expand the home help service and was considering providing a fair deal for people who wanted to stay in their own homes. Perhaps she might give the House an update this afternoon on the status of that. I compliment her not just on this issue, but on all the work she is doing in her brief. She is doing an excellent job. Bualadh bos.

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