Cork one of 11 counties unable to provide dementia daycare services

Alzheimer Society of Ireland chief executive Pat McLoughlin, Jacinta Dixon who lives with dementia and family carer Paddy Crosbie. The ASI will publish its pre-budget submission on Friday. Picture: Finbarr O'Rourke

Cork is one of 11 counties unable to offer dementia daycare services unless extra funding is provided in the upcoming budget, according to the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

This will affect hundreds of people with dementia and their carers as they will continue to have no access to vital supports and activities provided by these centres.

The ASI pre-budget submission, to be published on Friday, estimates €15m in capital funding is needed to address this challenge alone.

Centres in Bandon and Midleton are among 12 across nine counties that cannot re-open after the lockdowns as adapting the buildings to fit with the Covid restrictions is so expensive.

Another two counties need funding to open a service for the first time, the submission urges.

“Covid-19 has not so much created this crisis, but exposed years of under-investment that must now be addressed. There is no county in the country that meets the minimum recommended standards for dementia supports,” Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland chief executive Pat McLoughlin said.

Minister Mary Butler has shown an understanding of the challenges faced and has engaged with these issues. However, there has been no capital investment in dementia daycare by successive Governments.”

Before the pandemic, the ASI ran 47 day centres for about 1,100 people, with a waiting list of 400. The ASI call for an overall requirement of €29.3m for dementia services including €18m for community services and €1m for younger onset dementia supports. 

There are 64,000 people with dementia in Ireland and an estimated 11,000 newly diagnosed every year, the submission states. 

'My dad’s world has completely shrunk'

Denise Monahan said the world shrank for her father, Seamus, who has Alzheimer’s, during the pandemic. 

“The last 18 months have proved very challenging for my dad and for us as a family,” she said.

“During this whole pandemic period, my dad’s world has completely shrunk. He used to be the life and soul of his day centre which he loved so much and now he just wants to stay in the house all the time.” 

She described the closure of their local centre in Dublin as “ a huge loss” to Seamus.

“He has lost his ability to converse and to reminisce because he has been without his connection with people,” she said.

We as a family played by the rules in terms of cocooning and shielding him, but now we’ve paid the price. The day centre was our security blanket, without it, we were always going to be in free fall and now he’ll never go back.” 

Ms Monahan urged the Government to act now so no other family will experience this.

She said: “The Government must listen, once more, to family carers and people with dementia and I would urge investment in daycare services, so that more centres can reopen as soon as possible.”