Report indicts Government for failing to improve services to elderly

GOVERNMENT departments have failed to improved their services to older people, even when it can be done for free.

A report by the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) published yesterday reviews the progress since the Equality Authority made 72 recommendations last year to improve services for older people.

It said Government departments were still not always capable of telling older callers the name of the person or section responsible for a particular issue.

The report said there was also lack of support for elderly people who want to live in their own homes; just 2.9% of adult literacy students are 65 or over; and there has been little progress on allowing elderly people to work past 65.

Minister of State Ivor Callely, who is responsible for services to older people, described the report as "positive". He said there was a need to eliminate the "nonsensical bureaucracy" that older people often faced.

The report points out that it is crucial to improve support for older people because the number of people over 65 is expected to double from 414,000 in 1996 to 850,000 in 2031.

It said there was a danger that the emphasis on the value of youth could downplay the valuable contribution of older people to society and deprive young people of older people's experiences.

According to the report, two key recommendations free medical cards for over 65s and pensions rising to 34% of the average industrial wage are unlikely to be introduced due to a lack of political will.

Mr Callely said that spending on the disabled persons grant scheme, which adapts the houses of people with disabilities, had risen from €15.8m in 1999 to €41.7m in 2001.

He said there was no question of a means test being introduced for this or other schemes such as the special housing aid or the essential repairs grant.