A DONEGAL senator has
expressed concern at HSE plans to cut nearly 27,000
hours from the home help service in the county.
Senator Pearse Doherty said the HSE currently
budgets for 52,000 hours of home help in Donegal per
month but carers are actually delivering 54,246 to
meet demand. He called on Health Minister Mary
Harney to ensure the extra hours are incorporated
into the HSE’s budget and not cut.
“We have heard many times from the Government that
it protects the old and vulnerable but the truth
from what I am hearing on the ground in County
Donegal is that this is not the case," said Senator
Doherty. "I and my Sinn Féin colleagues in the
county have been inundated with representations from
elderly people, their families and their carers
expressing concern at cuts in hours and services for
the elderly."
He said home help hours were being reduced or
services discontinued. "I have heard of one case in
which an elderly person who cannot get out of bed
has had his hour and half of personal care reduced
to 20 minutes. In other cases the home help service
has been discontinued at the weekend." He cited
another example of the loss of services as last
November's axeing of the laundry service in the
Manorcunningham area. “Many of these people have
nobody calling to them except the woman or the man
who provides the home help service. Many of these
carers continue to provide the service in a
voluntary capacity and should be applauded for doing
so. However we cannot ignore the fact that our
elderly need this service and should not have to
depend upon the goodwill of carers. This service
needs to be retained at least at its current
levels," added Senator Doherty. |
