Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Jim Daly, will take the next Commencement matter.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State is otherwise engaged and sends his apologies. I will take this matter.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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That is fine. At least we have a Minister here to answer.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, to the House. In case he is not aware, this is world dementia month during which we are trying to raise awareness of the number of people suffering from dementia and, unfortunately, the lack of supports for them in Ireland. There are currently 55,000 people diagnosed with dementia in Ireland and 4,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year. It is forecast that 115,000 people in Ireland will suffer from dementia in 2036. While we have had a national dementia strategy in place since 2014, little progress has been made other than in identifying the issues that need to be addressed. I have served on the all-party group on dementia in these Houses seeking a better service and more supports. Unfortunately, I feel that we have failed because we have seen no significant improvement for dementia sufferers, their families and carers over the past three years.

Dementia is an ignored condition. Those who have it and their families are ignored and care is very much a postcode lottery. There are nine dementia advisers serving 11 counties. The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, represents Cork where there is one dementia adviser serving the whole county. The Minister of State will be aware of the distances that must be travelled in County Cork. He may have come across the dementia adviser service, which provides vital supports and also signposts for families the services they can knit into. In many cases, this enables families to keep a loved one at home for a much longer period.

The solution to the problem is not nursing home care. It is to try to keep family loved ones at home for as long as possible. I will not go into the financial impact of providing nursing home care for dementia sufferers but it is substantial.On many occasions, that care can be provided at home but the people who provide it are not being supported. The Minister of State does not have responsibility for this area but I wish to express my deep disappointment on behalf of the all-party committee regarding the fact that there has been absolutely no progress over three years. On several occasions during that period, it has been flagged to members of the committee that we would see progress "this year" but, unfortunately, "this year" has never come. There has been increase in the number of dementia advisers and no targeted intervention in respect of home care packages. We asked for targeted packages for families who have children with Down's syndrome, particularly as 88% of these children develop dementia. It is with deep disappointment that I say that no progress has been made

I ask that the Minister of State take the message back to the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, that we expect progress in 2019. We do not expect everything in that one year but we expect an incremental increase in services provided to the more than 50,000 sufferers and their families, as well as a pathway to proper services for the projected 115,000 sufferers by 2036. The Department of Health and the Central Statistics Office, which is responsible for compiling the census, have flagged these numbers. We need to get ready and ensure that those sufferers will have access to a proper service and that their families and carers will be supported.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Humphreys for raising this matter and I acknowledge his sincerity and interest in the area, as well as the work he has done. The Minister of State, Deputy Daly, wanted to be here but he is currently before the select committee and sends his apologies.

As a response to the increasing number of people with dementia, the Government launched the Irish national dementia strategy in 2014. The Senator is correct that more and more people are presenting with dementia, possibly because people are living longer. The strategy seeks to enable people with dementia to maintain their identity, resilience and dignity by recognising that they remain valued, independent citizens who, along with their carers, have the right to be fully included as active citizens in society. The Understand Together campaign has raised public awareness of dementia and has promoted the inclusion and involvement in society of those with dementia. Some 459 people with dementia have benefited from dementia-specific intensive home care packages, while thousands more have availed of standard home support services. The HSE's national dementia office is working to implement the national dementia strategy and provides in the region of €12 million in annual funding to organisations delivering dementia-specific respite, home care, day care, cognitive stimulation therapy, social clubs and supports for family carers. The HSE also provides €400,000 per annum to support the dementia adviser service operated by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

A primary focus of the strategy is the improvement of community-based services for people with dementia and their families and carers. To this end, a number of key measures in the strategy are currently supported with dormant accounts funding, including: a national network of memory technology resource rooms; post-diagnostic supports; a dementia diagnostic service for people with intellectual disability; the national roll-out of a dementia training programme for HSE home care staff; the development of dementia resource centres; and community support projects for people with dementia.

The national dementia office and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland have collaborated on a project to map dementia-specific community-based services across the country. This project is one of a series of data collection measures by the national dementia office which aim to support the future development of services and supports for people with dementia. The national dementia office is also progressing initiatives to improve dementia care in acute hospitals. These include training in dementia and delirium care, the appointment of several clinical nurse specialists in dementia and the embedding of dementia and delirium pathways into existing services. These initiatives aim to enable healthcare professionals in acute settings understand the specific needs of people with dementia, while creating an environment that is less disorienting and stressful for people with dementia.

The level of funding available for the Department of Health in 2020 and the quantum of services to be provided by the HSE, including supports for people with dementia, will be considered as part of the Estimates and budgetary process and national service planning. As these deliberations are ongoing, the Minister is not in a position to outline plans for 2020 at this time.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I do not want to get angry. I had skin in the game because I saw my mother with dementia in the last years of her life. I have seen the real impact it has on families. The Minister says that, five years after the dementia strategy was launched, we are funding initiatives from dormant accounts funding but we need mainstream funding. It has to be planned and we cannot go, cap in hand, begging for funding every year. We need a planned, integrated approach in order to give dementia sufferers and their families the dignity of which the Minister spoke.

I am sorry the Minister is not here because we have had endless meetings with him on this. Dormant accounts funding does not allow us to plan a long-term service or to plan an integrated service for sufferers of dementia, their carers and their families. We - and I include myself in this - have failed people with dementia and their families. I will not stop raising this issue, inside and outside this House. Senator Kelleher and I will continue the battle and we will not let any Minister for Health, from any political party - including my own - allow what is happening to people with dementia, their carers and their families to continue. It is a national disgrace.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Unfortunately, it is also close to my door but I cannot comment from here.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge what the Senator said and I believe all of us have experience of this. Good friends of mine are also affected and we all agree with what the Senator said. I commend him and encourage him to continue fighting. We will work with him on it. The national dementia strategy matches with much of what Sláintecare aims to deliver and has a strong emphasis on creating a whole-of-community response to dementia. Sláintecare seeks to steer the future direction of health provision and the Minister is pleased to say that the continued implementation of the national dementia strategy is included in the Sláintecare action plan for 2019. Dementia is not a simple health issue. It is also a social issue and involves everyone, from families and friends to business and the wider community. We all have a responsibility to remove the remaining stigma surrounding dementia and to create a society that embraces people with dementia. Individuals, businesses, organisations and communities have been encouraged to take steps to create welcoming and supportive communities for people with dementia and the Minister is heartened to see that more and more attention is being paid to dementia and the needs of people living with it.

The Government is providing a range of supports to promote the inclusion of people with dementia in our society. I appreciate that there are over 55,000 people in Ireland who are already living with dementia and that an average of 11 people develop dementia every day. As a result, there is a high demand for supports. The Minister of State, Deputy Daly, is committed to improving the range and quality of services available.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State is not the line Minister for this issue and I am sure Senator Humphreys will find other methods of raising the issue in this Chamber from time to time. If I can, I will allow him to do so.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I will do that. I thank the Cathaoirleach.