2014-04-22 - Socio Economic Review 2014 - Full text and cover - FINAL

older people’s services
Although Ireland’s population is young in comparison to those of other European
countries, it is still ageing. Those over 65 years of age increased by 14.4 per cent
between 2006 and 2011 and those aged over 85 years increased by 22 per cent (CSO,
2012). By 2025 the number over 85 years will have doubled (Department of Health,
2012, p.2).
The HSE Service Plan for 2014 envisages making no new places available under the
Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS or ‘Fair Deal’ scheme) and acknowledges that
‘will require careful management of NHSS applications as places become vacant’ (HSE,
2014). In fact, the expected outturn for December 2014 shows almost 1,000 fewer
people in receipt of the scheme than at end 2013. This approach risks leading to more
older people remaining in inappropriate care facilities such as acute hospitals, an
outcome in the best interests of neither the individual nor the hospital. The HSE
National Service Plan for 2014 commits to a strong emphasis on home care and other
community support services but it also envisages that the absence of a significant
capital investment to improve standards within long-term care facilities, to bring them
into line with HIQA standards, means a reduction in residential care capacity; this
will result in increases in hospital and community waiting times. The Plan commits
no extra resourcing notwithstanding population ageing. This is not an appropriate
response when the number of people aged over 85 is increasing rapidly as many of
them are dependent on public services to continue to live with dignity.
The HSE service plan does envisage shifting €23million from budget for the NHSS to
provide care in the community. Support for people to remain in their own homes is a
key and appropriate policy objective and coincides with the wish of most older people.
But increased demand for long-term care is also a predicted outcome of population
ageing (CARDI, 2012). There were over 500 people on waiting lists for the NHSS (Fair
Deal scheme) at end September 2013 (HSE, 2013a). Furthermore, a commitment to a
comprehensive system of care in the community, as announced in January 2014, is
not supported by making no further funding available, nor by further cutbacks in
housing grants intended to help older and disabled people to continue living at home.
Neither is it evidenced by the significant decrease in the provision of home help hours
since in recent years 61 . As Table 8.4 shows, there were more than 10,000 fewer people
in receipt of home help support in 2012 than there had been in 2007 (a decrease of 18
per cent) and there was a decrease of some 2.5million in the hours delivered (a
decrease of 21 per cent). During the same period there was an increase in the numbers
in receipt of Home Care Packages (by 2,491 people) representing an increase of nearly
24 per cent. However, the numbers in receipt of Home Care Packages had decreased
slightly between 2011 and 2012. See Table 8.4.
61
HSE reports make it clear that older people are the main beneficiaries of Home Help
services and Home Care Packages.
176 Socio-Economic Review 2014