Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 170: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the subvention being provided by her Department for home care in 2005. [18205/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Health Service Executive has been piloting home care grant schemes in a number of areas. These schemes have been targeted at supporting older people living in the community as an alternative to long-term residential care and for older people who are being discharged from the acute hospital system. In the HSE eastern regional area, people have been discharged from acute hospitals under the slán abhaile and home first pilot projects. In the HSE southern area, a similar project, Curam, has been piloted, while the 'choice' programme in the HSE north-west area also provides such a scheme.

The development of a national home care grant scheme is in keeping with a key recommendation in the O'Shea report on the nursing home subvention scheme which recommended that the health services develop a home based subvention scheme for older people as an alternative to long-term residential care. Funding of €2 million has been allocated to the HSE in 2005 to develop the scheme further. In addition, funding of €113.75 million was allocated in 2004 for the home help service to support older people living in the community, with this funding being increased to €118.75 million in 2005.