Home Help cuts will devastate the prospect of safe ageing at home [5/10/12]

The HSE cuts to home help hours are illogical and untenable. If these cuts go through, and when added to the cuts implemented in January, it will result in just under 1 million hours of home help support being withdrawn in this year alone. This will devastate the prospect of safe ageing at home. 

Not only are the cuts themselves a backwards step in terms of safe and healthy ageing, they also make no sense from an administrative or care management perspective.  

Director of Older & Bolder, Ms. Patricia Conboy today said, “The HSE has pre-determined that €8 million will be cut from home help services before the end of the year. To say that the assessment process is based on ‘a review of individual needs’ is misleading at best. The outcome has been decided before the needs of any individual have been considered. 

She added: “The whole approach is not feasible. Just how is the HSE going to engage efficiently and humanely in the individualised assessment of 11,000,000 Home Help Hours?” 

Speaking about those reliant on Home Help Hours Ms. Conboy said: “The HSE’s statement fails to reassure those already in receipt of services that their hours will not be reduced, only that they will not “be without a service”. 

She added: “Those who are on waiting lists will be legitimately fearful about the refusal of much-needed help.  People who are vulnerable due to illness, frailty and disability need clarity and re-assurance not the promise of assessment in the absence of clear guidelines and a transparent assessment process”.

Ms. Conboy concluded: “Irish people understand that these cuts will devastate the prospect of safe and healthy ageing at home. Thousands have acted through constituency visits, postcard petitions and online action in pursuit of our campaign goal that these cuts to Home Help and Home Care Packages be reversed. We are determined to resist these illogical cuts”. 

-ENDS-

For further information please contact: Diarmaid O’Sullivan 01 8783623