Sir, - At a time when our State is commendably spending £45 million on swimming pools (The Irish Times, August 25th) surely we can spend a similar amount at least on relieving the enormous pressures on parents of children with mental handicap. The intolerable stress on so many of these parents is totally unjust and should call for immediate action.
Up to about 30 years ago, children with mental handicap were regularly admitted to psychiatric hospitals or mental handicap institutions for life. When it was realised that this practice was harmful, it was discontinued and was to be replaced over a period by community-based relief and residential services. However, because of financial constraints, these new services never came into being in any real sense, and so, over the years, institutional care gradually translated itself into care at home by families with little or no State aid. Consequently, we now have a situation where elderly parents in their 60s, 70s and even 80s are caring for their totally dependent adult children virtually unaided.
With improved medical care, people with mental handicap are now living much longer, and furthermore, infants with multiple and profound disabilities are surviving much longer and being discharged home at an early age to be cared for by their parents. The very detrimental affects that this current practice has on the health and well-being of many families is now very apparent and is of great concern. Serious back problems from constant heavy lifting are common, as are chronic fatigue problems and a host of stress-related disorders. Chronic depression and anxiety are particularly common.
Parents have no wish to go back to the old style of institutional care. Instead they require easily accessed relief and residential services in the community. Because successive governments have failed to provide these services, there is now a huge backlog of families awaiting relief. At the present time, our country can well afford to provide these essential services, and I believe most Irish people would very much want to see justice being done to these families. It could be an excellent opportunity for Mr Brian Cowen, Minister for Health, to strike a blow for disability comparable to the achievements of Dr Noel Browne in health and Mr Donough O'Malley in education in years gone by. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Sinead O Nuallain, Paediatrician, Brothers of Charity Services, Lower Newcastle, Galway.