6,000 elderly people waiting to receive home care support, report says

A new report says around 6,000 elderly people are on waiting lists to receive home care support.

Care Alliance Ireland says families usually have to wait more than three months to get a carer.

It also estimates there is an 18% gap between the care hours that are needed and what people actually get.

The group says there is still under-investment in the service, and it is more difficult to get home care now than it was ten years ago.

"There really doesn't appear to be a consistent approach by the HSE, particularly in assessing unmet needs and by that we mean the level of homecare that people are assessed as needing and the support they actually get," said Liam O'Sullivan from Care Alliance Ireland and author of the report.

"We estimate this level of unmet needs at approximately 18% of current provision or in the region of about four million homecare hours per year."

The group is calling for an extra investment of €110m over the next 3-4 years.

"What it means is if there is a family continuing to care for a family member who they love dearly but they do need extra support, it can be the difference between keeping someone at home and someone entering a nursing home."

Digital Desk