Irish Examiner view: Home care recommendations should get urgent attention

Concerns have been voiced about the number of older people waiting for homecare services

Some 5,405 people were waiting to be assigned a carer in February, up from 4,806 a year earlier. Picture: iStock

The rise in the number of elderly people waiting for homecare services, up 13% in a year, is worrying. Some 5,405 people were waiting to be assigned a carer in February, up from 4,806 a year earlier.

Such a significant increase is of particular concern because of the reason for it. The HSE’s head of service for older people, Kathleen Jordan, said that no one on the list was waiting for funding to be allocated; they were waiting because there is a shortage of carers. That shortage is set to worsen in the coming years; our population is ageing, and as the proportion of people over the age of 65 increases, so too does the number of people requiring some form of care.