Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Christopher Norris is a 53-year-old gentleman who has been living in a nursing home for the past 13 years, since he had an operation that went desperately wrong and resulted in a brain injury. The nursing home he is living in is absolutely gorgeous. I know that because my dad was there for 18 months. My dad shared a corridor with Chris and lived two bedrooms up. They look after him incredibly well, as they do with everybody. However, the environment is entirely unsuitable for a man of 53 years of age with a brain injury. We have him on the fair deal scheme. We are treating him as if he had a pension and taking the money off him. There are absolutely no rehabilitative services with regard to him having an independent life at his age and with his disability. He needs to be supported.

The reason I stand today is because his dad, Christy, who is in his 80s, and his mam, Anne, are desperately worried about what will happen to their son, who has already been nearly 13 years in a residential setting that is not suitable for either his age or disability, if something happens to either of them. We all know we are all going in the same way with the circle of life. He needs to have a life. I mean no disrespect to the people in the nursing home because I can say honestly with my hand to my heart that they are gorgeous, caring and kind people. However, he is in the wrong environment. The family has found an environment that would be suitable for him, but we have come up against the usual nonsense that it is not HIQA regulated or he does not get money from the disability funds and is currently getting money from the fair deal scheme.

I ask the Leader to help me to organise a meeting with Anne Rabbitte because other gentlemen and women in this situation are being treated using the disability funds and are being given the dignity of an independent, supported life, which is what we want for Chris. I ask the Leader if she can in any way help me to organise a meeting with Anne Rabbitte so that we can put the case on behalf of Christy, his wife and their son, Christopher, to make sure he lives however many years he has left in an independent, dignified and supported way.