Elderly to benefit from improved home care
Dependent elderly citizens are to benefit from a stronger support network this winter to help them remain in their homes, the Tánaiste revealed today.
Health Minister Mary Harney pledged to substantially increase home care packages, rather than placing people in residential care, as part of a new policy towards elderly people.
“It is time for new thinking, new policies and new practices on services for our senior citizens,” Ms Harney said.
“A key priority is supporting people to stay in their own homes and communities and moving away from the practise of placing people in residential care as a first option.”
At the National Economic and Social Forum plenary session on long term care at Dublin’s Royal Kilmainham Hospital, Ms Harney said around 28% of residents or about 5,000 people in long-stay beds were in low to medium dependency categories.
She said many of these people could be cared for in their homes with the appropriate level of supports.
“Currently, we do not offer enough support to high dependency patients who want to remain at home. I am determined to change this and I expect we shall see a major increase in Home Care Packages this winer as a cornerstone of new thinking and new policies on long term care,” Ms Harney said.
“When we say that we want to support people at home, we must ensure this means a practical reality in the eyes of patients and their families. The incentives and the supports must be aimed at home care.”
Ms Harney said new ways of delivering residential care services must be examined. She suggested this could include service level agreements between the Health Service Executive and the private sector in cases where the cost justified it.
The conference also heard the means test for Nursing Home Subvention would soon be changed.
People in registered private nursing homes may get a subvention from the Health Service Executive if they are dependent and if they pass a means test.
The test takes into account your income, as well as assets, including any house or property.
“At present under this scheme, a home that is valued at about €95,000 in the context of qualifying for a subvention is enough to negate the value of the subvention,” Ms Harney said.
“This is ridiculous when the average cost of a second-hand home in Dublin is over €400,000. I intend soon to increase these assessment levels to make the application process more realistic.”
Ms Harney said the Health Department and the Social and Family Affairs Department would shortly bring new policies to government to deal with long-term care.
“We are working towards a sustainable policy that will mean, first, services will be available for all who need them based on dependency levels and, second, there will be a fair sharing of long term care costs between families and the State – something for which there is considerable public support and acceptance,” she said.
