Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the extra hours. One of the figures I took from yesterday's discussion was that 40% of dementia is preventable. That translates in current terms to 30,000 people or 30,000 families today. By 2045, that could be 60,000 families unless we put the investment in now. It was proven by yesterday's discussion that dementia is treatable and if steps are taken, we can reduce the numbers of people.

As Senators will know, I spoke before about the issue of home care. It is something about which I am extremely passionate. I refer back, and I also mentioned it yesterday, to when my late mother was diagnosed with dementia during Covid-19. I will always remember what was said to us as a family when we were told, and she was there with us when she was diagnosed with vascular dementia, that the only options were five hours' home help or the fair deal scheme. I said before that I do not think the fair deal scheme is a fair deal for families. The fair deal we would need to give families is more support in the home. Families can then work and keep their loved one at home. Unfortunately, because of that, we were not in a position to do so and my late mother received fantastic care in St. Joseph's Care Centre in County Longford. We would have preferred to have her at home, however. I appeal again that we work on putting in those resources to make sure families and the persons concerned can be at home, as has been said by other Members, in familiar surroundings where they might live a little longer.