Budget 2018 decisions must be informed by the trends highlighted in the Census data released today according to Age Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people.
An increase in the ageing population means that that the actual number of people aged over 65 with a disability has increased from 204,069 in 2011 to 224,388 in 2016.
Despite this the number of home help hours available, 10.57 million, has remained stagnant for the last 2 years and it is more than a million hours fewer than in 2011.
Naomi Feely, Senior Policy Officer with Age Action, said: “Unlike any other data source, the Census tells us about the entire population of Ireland.
“Decisions about the levels of funding required for home help services in Budget 2018 must be based on these figures to ensure that as many older people as possible can be supported to live independently in their own home.
“Our home care services are in crisis. Across Ireland thousands of older people are on waiting lists for home care packages. This crisis is driven by a lack of adequate funding to address the needs of our older population.”
The CSO published Census 2016 Summary Results – Part 2 today which provides information about employment, education, health, disability and carers.