Sir, – The Irish Times coverage of the issue of late-life care is very welcome (Weekend Review August 11th Home News, August 13th). Mary Maher’s articulation of older people’s fear of failed health and of the usually unspoken question “What if the time comes when we can’t go on as we are?” gets to the heart of the matter.
As individuals, we cannot predict what health challenges we will face at the end of our lives. However, as a society, we can predict the care and support needs of the older population and plan to meet those needs on a basis of partnership between citizens and State.
UK data shows that, by the age of 65, one in 10 people face future lifetime care costs of more than €120,000. Currently, citizens, whether old or young, have no legal entitlement to community care services and legal entitlement to nursing home care is a matter of dispute. As things stand, access to community care depends on where you live, who you speak to, the state of the budget in your regional HSE office and local custom and practice. These are concerns that should be addressed in the current review of the Nursing Home Support Scheme.
A review dominated by a focus on the relative costs of public and private nursing home care is not fit for purpose. Above all, vulnerable people coping with challenges such as life-limiting illness, dementia, severe disability, need access to effective care provided with compassion and respect.
The Minister for Older People has a critical leadership role to play in ensuring that the current review plans for the continuum of care needs among the older population and is ambitious about the quality of late-life care. – Yours, etc,