‘We fear for our daughter’s future’

Ciara Skelly has to be fed through a tube, is autistic, has epilepsy, is confined to a wheelchair, and has the mental capacity of a two-year-old.

Yet, despite the difficulties involved, her parents have always been grateful for the specialist care she receives at Stewart’s Hospital.

Now, because of a lack of money and a failure by health service management to properly plan for the future, the young adult’s family have been told the vital support they need is no longer available.

Ciara’s parents Moira and Paul, from Palmerstown in Dublin, are “losing sleep” over what is happening. They want to know why their child is being “treated like she doesn’t matter”.

“The Government and HSE have had 18 years to plan for the placement of these children into adult services, these children don’t magically become fully functioning independent members of society just because they reach the age of 18.

“They’ve had so long to plan for this, but now when they don’t have the money to look after Ciara and the others it’s supposedly such a shock to them,” said Moira.

Moira and Paul, who have three older adult children, said they only want what is best for their daughter, who faces losing key educational supports and therapies because of the cut to her care.

However, if the services deemed necessary for teens like Ciara who turned 18 in previous years are no longer available, they fear this will never be possible.

“It is frustrating, because Stewart’s Hospital has been fantastic. It is speaking with the HSE on behalf of the parents, but we are all really worried about what is going to happen to our children,” Moira said.