Age Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people, has warned that the planned consultation on a statutory homecare scheme must not focus only on funding but on the type of care provided as well.
The organisation, responding to reports in this morning’s papers, also warned that means-testing homecare could lead to older people being denied the supports they need to stay at home.
Justin Moran, Head of Advocacy and Communications, said: “We welcomed the announcement by Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Helen McEntee TD of a public consultation on a statutory scheme for homecare.
“It is critical that this consultation not focus only on cost but on the type and quality of care provided, proper regulation of homecare and a transparent, consistent, system of assessing care needs for older people.
“We would be particularly worried about any proposal to introduce a means test. This could prevent people getting the supports they need to stay at home and may lead to greater costs in the long run as individuals denied homecare deteriorate and end up needing nursing home care.”