Plight of my disabled mother
In April 2003, I applied to Trim Town Council in Co Meath for a disabled person’s grant to renovate our house to suit my disabled mother.
On June 27, 2003, I received a reply from Trim council stating that “all available funding under this scheme has been committed for this year”.
On January 27, 2004, a doctor from the North Eastern Health Board called to inspect my property and see my mother regarding the application for a disabled person’s grant. Still no funding is available for this grant.
However, funding was available to send seven Meath councillors and two council officials to New York for St Patrick’s Day this year.
Funding is available (and was also available in summer 2003) for grants to paint private houses and shops and for hanging baskets and window boxes.
Funding was available also for a controversial civic reception given to a group of private visitors from Trim’s twin town in France.
And there was funding to sponsor a hot air balloon costing €18,000.
Yet there is no funding for the disabled person’s grant. This is a thundering disgrace.
My mother holds a parking card for people with disabilities from the Irish Wheelchair Association. I sent a registered letter to an official in Trim Town Council to request that they consider providing a parking bay for people with disabilities such as my mother’s - walking long distances is difficult for her. They have not even dignified my letter with a response.
On December 29, 2003, I hand-delivered a second letter asking that they at least respond to my request. Neither letter has been acknowledged.
I contacted the Minister for the Environment and Local Government on these two points (among other local government issues). His response was that he “has no function in regard to these matters”.
On June 18, my mother fell and lost consciousness. An ambulance was called. She regained consciousness before it arrived and was taken to accident and emergency at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan. She was diagnosed as having a fractured hip.
We were advised that she would need to be transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda for a hip operation, but that there were no beds available there.
On June 21 my mother was transferred to the Drogheda hospital. On June 22 - four days after the fracture occurred - the essential operation took place.
Were I to treat an animal like that I would rightly face cruelty charges. My mother was discharged from hospital to a nursing home on July 7 last and came home one week later.
I have written to the chief executive of the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) and the Minister for Health who referred my letter back to the NEHB chief. I have also written to all my local councillors, TDs, MEPs and some other Government ministers, including the Taoiseach, regarding this dreadful situation.
It is disgraceful that someone who helped to build up this country is now treated in such an absolutely appalling manner by State bodies/organisations such as the local council and the health board. In my view, it cannot be morally correct to treat a fellow human being in this way.
Noel Collins
32 High Street
Trim
Co Meath
