Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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667. To ask the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding services for dementia patients during Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34625/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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At the outset, I would like to acknowledge how challenging this year has been for people living with dementia and their families. Budget 2021 provided an additional €12.9 million to improve supports for people with dementia next year. This funding will be used to provide an additional 250,000 home support hours for people living with dementia, will enable the recruitment of an additional 11 Dementia Advisors next year and will enable the expansion of dementia specific community supports in line with the National Dementia Strategy.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the HSE has endeavoured to maintain a focus on the needs of people living with dementia by adapting its community services and supports to provide a flexible response to meet their needs. I understand that a majority of the HSE’s Memory Technology Resource Rooms are now providing an adapted service through telephone and video assessments. Primary care team support is operating nationwide, with referrals being made to community supports, including the dementia adviser service and the local authority community response forums. While home support visits have been necessarily restricted, the HSE uses prioritisation and screening measures to identify clients in need of home visits.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) is continuing to support people: its live chat, national helpline, home care, dementia adviser service, and online family carer training remain operational. Alzheimer Cafés have moved on-line and ‘virtual cafés’ are now taking place. The ASI has launched a new nurse line initiative with backing from the HSE and my Department. The free call-back service offers people with dementia and family carers the opportunity to book a 1:1 session with a Dementia Nurse or a Dementia Adviser during the pandemic.

The HSE is committed to reopening day services but needs to determine the Covid-19 testing strategy for service users; mindful of increasing Covid-19 community transmission and resolve issues related to physical environments at day centres and ensure a safe transport strategy to facilitate people’s attendance at day centres.

Finally, advice issued from NPHET is that the over-70s, as medically vulnerable people, are advised to continue to exercise personal judgement care and it is recommended that they stay at home as much as possible and to limit engagement to a very small network of people for limited periods of time while remaining physically distanced.

As part of this query relates to an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.