Fianna Fáil Press Office
Cllr Cormac Devlin
Dun Laoghaire
28 October 2015
Decrease in Home Help hours a betrayal of the elderly of Dun Laoghaire – Devlin
Fianna Fáil General Election candidate Cllr Cormac Devlin has accused the Government of reneging on a promise to increase Home Help Hours. His comments come as figures obtained by Fianna Fáil show there was a 29% decrease in home help hours in Dun Laoghaire between 2010 and 2014.
“This is a betrayal of the older people of Dun Laoghaire. Fine Gael and Labour have consistently undermined the home care package. Almost 32,000 home help hours have been slashed in the area over the last five years.”
Cllr Devlin commented: “These figures show a dramatic reduction in the home care package. In 2010 there were 112,726 home help hours available to Dun Laoghaire people but in 2014 this had fallen to 81,000. A further fall of at least a thousand hours is projected for this year.
“This is a cut of over 29% over four years with even more cuts to come. This will have a huge impact on the most vulnerable people in society,” he added.
“The Dun Laoghaire area has one of the highest proportions of older people in the country. These cuts will have a major impact here and are yet another example of the Government’s indifference to the plight of the elderly. There have already been cuts to the over 70’s medical cards, to home adaption grants, to the housing aid for older people scheme, to the telephone allowance. There was also the abolition of the bereavement grant, while the fivefold hike in prescription charges has had a serious impact on older people. Enough is enough.”
Cllr Devlin went on to point out: “The home help care package is vital for allowing older people to continue living active lives in their communities while also receiving high quality healthcare and support.”
He warned: “Reducing home help hours is counterproductive and will only lead to greater pressure being placed on our already over-crowded hospitals. The Government should be increasing the number of home help hours, especially when you consider the ageing population in Ireland.”
-ENDS-
Vivienne Clarke
Fianna Fáil Press Office
Leinster House
