Nursing home plan may alleviate the housing crisis

Elderly people are to be given more flexibility in how they fund their care needs, under radical plans being developed by the Government.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, junior health minister, Jim Daly, who has responsibility for the Fair Deal nursing home scheme, said he wants older people to have a choice to do what suits them best.

He wants to roll out a fit-for-purpose home-help service, funded through a Fair Deal-type scheme, to allow a far greater number of elderly people to remain in their homes.