Shortage of carers may force older people to leave their own homes

Sage Advocacy wants the carer shortage to be addressed in the upcoming budget. File Picture: iStock

A "national crisis" which could see older people forced to leave their homes because of a shortage of carers is beginning to unfold In Ireland, according to a vulnerable adults support service.

Sage Advocacy, which provides support and advocacy services to older people, vulnerable adults, and healthcare patients, said the inability to access necessary care and support services may soon leave older people with no choice but to stop living independently and move out of their homes.

Executive Director of Sage Advocacy Sarah Lennon said that many vulnerable older people are still "desperate to access care and support to continue living in their own homes."

"We know that there are many older people across the country who are having to provide a level of care to a loved one, husband, wife, or relative that is simply unsustainable,” she said.

Ms Lennon said that while some older people needed only minimal day-to-day support, others required considerably more help to remain living independently in their own homes. 

"We are hearing that there is a recruitment crisis and a shortage of staff to provide these services and that shortage is fast developing into a national crisis which has left some older people not only in despair but in a very vulnerable position.

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Ms Lennon said many older people were now having to rely on family and friends to provide essential day-to-day care and support.

She said the issue needed to be addressed "urgently" and called on the Government to include measures aimed at attracting people to these essential carer roles to be included in the upcoming budget.

The current situation is already at "a breaking point" and one that is worsening with each passing week, she said. "There is a growing demand for home support services and a lack of healthcare workers to provide those services.

"If the people who need additional support cannot access it, then they could be put in a position where they no longer have a choice and could be forced to consider other alternatives such as long-term residential care options including nursing homes – against their will”.

"The current support system is strongly biased towards the statutory Nursing Home Support Scheme, which is means-tested and regulated, while the non-statutory system of home care is not means-tested and not regulated. 

"We need a new framework and new infrastructure put in place to ensure care and support services are available to people in their home, where and whenever they need it most," she added.