Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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856. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he plans to implement the recommendations contained in the Review of the Delivery Model of the Seniors Alert Scheme published in 2017, in particular, to extend the scheme’s focus to include boarder aspects of health and wellbeing such as telecare and extend the eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14917/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people. Participants are provided with a monitored personal alarm, which supports them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind.

Under the scheme, personal alarms are provided via a registered community based-organisation, encouraging personal engagement at a local community level. Pobal administers the scheme at the national level and has done so since 2015.

The 2017 review referred to by the Deputy found that the Seniors Alert Scheme had served Ireland well and that it represented good value for money. The review made several recommendations around utilisation of the budget, extending eligibility to participate, new technologies and services, and procurement - the majority of which were accepted and implemented at the time.

In terms of eligibility, a decision was made to keep the age requirement at 65 or older, as the main purpose of the Scheme is to enable older persons to live securely in their homes. Notwithstanding this, several recommendations of the review regarding means testing and living arrangements were accepted and led to significant increases in approved annual applications to the scheme, from 12,609 in 2017 to 18,232 in 2024.

With regard to the report’s recommendations around the provision of telehealth and telecare to the broader population, this does not fall under the remit of the Seniors Alert Scheme and requires a whole of government approach – a factor acknowledged in the report.

Officials in my department are currently working with Pobal in advance of a new iteration of the scheme, which will take account of new and developing technologies. This will ensure that emerging developments in the sector can be incorporated into the scheme and will ensure that the scheme meets the needs of participants for many years to come.