We should support home help services

The recent announcement by the HSE that the personal assistant and home help packages were to be seriously cut back was a disgraceful decision, but also a huge wake up call to all of us.

It is a relief that some of the personal assistant support is being reinstated after protests outside the Dáil by people with serious disabilities, their families and supporters embarrassed the Government into action.

But that’s not enough; the home care packages also need to be reinstated in full so that thousands of elderly people, the most vulnerable in society, can live with some measure of dignity. Numerous stories have been aired on this issue highlighting the need for every single hour of home help support to be maintained.