Study finds elderly prefer care at home

The "vast majority" of older people would rather be cared for in their home than in a nursing home and a "sizeable number" do not use services such as home helps or meals-on-wheels because they are embarrassed to do so, a Government-funded study has found.

The study, Health and Social Services for Older People, was presented in Dublin yesterday by Minister of State Dr Tom Moffatt. It was undertaken by the National Council on Ageing and Older People in collaboration with the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Western Health Board.

One of the report's authors, Prof Hannah McGee, of the Royal College of Surgeons, said that her team interviewed 937 people aged between 65 and 99 in the west and east of the State.

Of these, 54 per cent were women and 41 per cent were widowed. Twenty-eight per cent were living alone and 70 per cent of these were women. Although 86 per cent of the total had one or more ongoing illnesses, only 21 per cent received enough assistance to enable them to live at home.

The report calls for Government support for informal caregivers and respite care and for investment in the home structure of older people.