Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the presence of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to take this matter. It is an important issue for all of those impacted. Day centres provide a valuable service in the communities and towns in which they operate. We saw during Covid the negative impact the closure of day care centres had for older people. In this instance I am talking about the Allenwood day care centre, which is located in the Ballyteague GAA centre. It is a fabulous place in the middle of nature. It really provided a great space for people to have recreational time outside as well as in. This was operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Albert Perris and his team provided a professional service with great empathy and support. It was a place I had an opportunity to visit many times, so I can attest to the wonderful service given there. Thirty-seven people have been going to this day care centre. Approximately one third of them sadly have dementia, but the families really noticed the huge improvement when they started attending the day care service up to three days per week. It ran five days per week and provided meals on wheels. Unfortunately, ten weeks ago this coming Thursday, the service closed. There was a disagreement with regard to the move to a new centre in the nearby village of Kilmeage. However, instead of having a negotiated transition, what happened was that the board was told it had to leave and the service stopped.To be fair to the HSE, it said it would step in and provide the service directly. It is important to note that. However, the fact that ten weeks later we have nothing in place is really wrong.

Of the 37 people affected, four have now gone into a nursing home and two are in hospital. The families are seeing a very negative impact. As we know, daycare centres are about socialisation, stimulation, the opportunity to meet neighbours and friends and spend time with people we have known all of our lives. The HSE said it would consider a transfer to nearby daycare centres in Newbridge and Naas, but this is not something that suits local people. The communities of Allenwood and Ballyteague are devastated by this. I have to pay tribute to Karen Gorey, who is spearheading the campaign.

We need the HSE to act. There is a service provider ready to step in and provide that service, but I understand it is being held up by some red tape in terms of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul reviewing its service level agreement. The Minister of State could make an order that the new service provider could move in straight away and provide what is a very much needed service in a place with which people in Ballyteague are familiar. The new centre in Kilmeague will not be ready until the summer. Leaving a gap from before Christmas to summertime is simply not good enough. I ask the Minister of State to use his good services and influence to ensure that this issue is solved.