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O’ROURKE WELCOMES ADDITIONAL HOME SUPPORT HOURS

Frank O’Rourke TD has welcomed the one million additional home support hours which was announced in Budget 2020 but stated that more needs to be done to tackle long waiting lists for Home Care hours

“Leading up to Budget 2020, our Fianna Fáil negotiating team pushed hard to secure additional home help hours. The additional one million hours will go some way towards easing waiting times but more is needed.”

“Families seeking home care packages contact me on a weekly basis. There has been an increased in the number of people seeking home care packages and we need extra resources to meet the demand.

“Fianna Fáil introduced the Home Care Package in 2006 and fully appreciates its value. Enabling care for people in their own home is a win win for everyone. It is generally the preferred choice for older people and their families and it save the Government money. “

“A crisis in home care supports has escalated over the past year. The service has been unable to keep pace with the demand and while the additional hours announced in the budget is a welcome step in the right direction, we need to see more resources for home care packages.”

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O’ROURKE PRESSES FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Frank O’Rourke TD has pressed the Government for additional resources to support older people

Deputy O’Rourke made the comments following a meeting with his Party colleague and Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Social Affairs, Willie O’Dea TD.

“I know from my weekly clinics, the lack of home care packages and inadequate resources for the Fair Deal scheme among other issues are a real concern for older people.” Continue reading “O’ROURKE PRESSES FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR OLDER PEOPLE”

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Better Homecare needed to tackle Hospital Overcrowding – O’Rourke

Frank O’Rourke TD says the Government needs to focus on making additional home care packages available to older people in order to resolve the hospital overcrowding crisis.

Deputy O’Rourke made the comments after receiving new information which shows that 589 people over the age of 75 were stuck on trolleys in Naas General Hospital in 2017.

Deputy O’Rourke said, “One of the key problems in hospitals right across the country is the lack of home care supports to help older people to return to their own homes. Many older people are stuck in hospital wards and are unable to return home after receiving the all-clear from their consultants due to the delays in sanctioning home care packages. This is a serious problem which is exacerbating the overcrowding crisis in our hospitals.” Continue reading “Better Homecare needed to tackle Hospital Overcrowding – O’Rourke”

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O’ROURKE CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Frank O’Rourke, has again highlighted the need to provide supports for older people, as CSO figures show a significant increase in the number of older people acting as carers for their loved ones and relatives.

Between 2011 and 2016, there has been nearly a 20% increase, from 24,746 to 29,311, in the number of people, aged 65 years or older, providing care for their loved ones.

“Since being elected, I have highlighted the need to prepare for the change in demographics.  In 2006, there were 468,000 people aged 65 or older in Ireland, but by 2041, the number of people in this country aged 65 or older will be 1.4 million.” Continue reading “O’ROURKE CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE”