Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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80. To ask the Minister for Health if further investment will be made available to provide funding for community supports for persons with dementia to ensure they can remain active in their communities and continue to live in their own homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43279/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The National Dementia Strategy was launched in December 2014 to meet the challenges faced by people living with dementia in Ireland and to provide services to meet growing demand in future years. The Strategy contains 35 priority and additional actions and its implementation is being led by the National Dementia Office in the HSE. The office has made substantial progress towards developing evidence-based care pathways for people with dementia and progress to date, as well as future plans, is recorded in the mid-term review of the Strategy's implementation, which was published in May this year. The Strategy emphasises the need for a "whole community response" to dementia, as the majority of people with dementia live in their own communities and wish to avail of services in their local area.

To support future development of services and supports for people with dementia, the National Dementia Office and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland undertook a joint project in 2016 and 2017 to map dementia-specific community-based services across the country. Information from the project is included in an on-line service finder on the Understand Together website so people can find out what services are available in each county.

It is acknowledged that there are gaps in access to services and a large variance in what services are provided across the country. The National Dementia Office has met with senior HSE officials in each Community Healthcare Organisation region to highlight gaps in each area and to develop local action plans to improve service provision.

The National Dementia Strategy calls for the HSE to consider the provision of dementia advisers, based on the experience of demonstrator sites. An evaluation of the Dementia Adviser Service was published on 26 September. It recommends the continuation and expansion of the service to ensure equity of access countrywide.

In addition to these community supports, in 2014 the HSE introduced Dementia-Specific Intensive Homecare Packages to test the feasibility of providing a high level of support to people with dementia with complex needs to facilitate them to remain living at home. These were initially co-funded by the HSE and the Atlantic Philanthropies and now fully funded by the HSE, which has committed to continue to provide approximately 120 packages at any one time. In addition to the IHCPs, people with dementia are also able to avail of standard home care services on the basis of need and within the resources available.

The Department of Health has secured €6.26 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund for numerous projects to improve care and supports for people with dementia. Projects receiving funding include the delivery of post-diagnostic supports; a dementia diagnostic service for people with intellectual disability; a national network of memory technology resource rooms; the development of a national dementia registry; the national rollout of a dementia training programme for HSE homecare staff; the development of dementia resource centres; funding for a dementia community activation coordinator; and community support projects for people with dementia.

In July and September, I met with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland to discuss dementia issues. I have also met Senator Colette Kelleher, a former CEO and advocate of the ASI, to specifically discuss the needs of people with dementia. I am very aware of the need to address issues surrounding dementia, and am committed to maintaining the constructive relationships the Department has with advocacy groups as we continue to work towards the greater provision of services and care to people with dementia, their carers and families in the HSE's National Service Plan for 2019.

In terms of plans to expand support levels for people with dementia, the quantum of services to be provided by the HSE will be considered as part of the HSE's 2019 National Service Planning.