The revelation that more than 1,000 young people with disabilities are living in nursing homes in the Republic is disturbing. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI), placing people under the age of 65 in nursing home settings is inappropriate for their health and social care needs and leads to social exclusion. The charity has identified an additional 2,900 people with disabilities who are living in congregated settings.
Defined as a residential setting housing 10 or more people, those living in congregated settings experience institutional living conditions where they lack basic privacy and dignity. Most have multiple disabilities and complex needs.
The report,”Time to Move on From Congregated Settings”, published in 2011, recommended a seven-year phased closure of congregated settings, with individuals actively supported to live full, inclusive lives at the heart of their family and community. To achieve this requires access to mainstream facilities, such as housing, social life, education and work. Among the report’s specific recommendations was a cessation of admission of disabled people to nursing homes as well as a dedicated programme to make dispersed housing in the community the norm. However, even if the current target of moving 150 people a year were met, it would take another 20 years to de-congregate everyone. Ongoing delays and the inability of the relevant Government departments to take responsibility for the funding of appropriate housing suggests a lack of priority for people with disabilities.
With the national budget for disability services reduced by €160 million since 2008, a pre-budget DFI request to invest an additional €20 million in capital expenditure and €10 million in revenue on a multi-annual basis, to implement the report, seems reasonable. People with the most severe disabilities make the most gains when moved to community settings. Continuing to place disabled people in their 30s and 40s in nursing homes to face more than 20 years living in an inappropriate place is unacceptable and must cease.