asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that number of homes which care for people is adequate to meet demand; and if the standards in homes are adequate to ensure care for the residents.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Accommodation For Aged.
43.
I am not satisfied the accommodation for the aged fully adequate to meet requirement but schemes have been in progress some years to provide extra accommodation and improve the facilitie for the aged throughout the country.
New geriatric units have been provided to replace old unsuitable premises, and others have been adapted and new extensions built. In all, some 4,200 beds in new or improved accommodation have been provided over the last nine years.
In addition, 48 new welfare homes, each with 40 beds, have been approved in principle. Of these, 18 are completed and in use, two are completed and about to be occupied, five will be ready for occupation this year or early next year, six are at tender stage and the remainder are at various stages of planning.
The standard of accommodation in the new geriatric units and the new welfare homes is very satisfactory. Accommodation is not so good in some of the older institutions but improvement schemes have been carried out at many centres in recent years, and this process is continuing.
Many old people are maintained in private geriatric homes of varying standards but, in general, they are of a reasonable standard and are inspected under the Health (Homes for the Incapacitated Persons) Act, 1964.
Would the Minister agree that a badly needed number of hospital beds are being taken up by old people who would be better provided for in this type of home?
I am so aware and I expressed my dissatisfaction with the situation in the first paragraph of my reply.
The question asked by Deputy Lemass is very relevant. I am sure the Minister will agree that home help is of vital importance. We should try to keep old people out of hospital and leave the beds available for those who really need them.
I would not disagree with the Deputy and that is the effort.
44.
asked the Minister for Health if an assessment has been made recently of the merits of boarding out old people in private homes.
An assessment has been made in my Department of the merits of a scheme of boarding out old people in private homes.
Health boards are empowered to operate such a scheme under section 61 of the Health Act, 1970, and organised arrangements for the boarding out of elderly persons have been developed in Dublin and Westmeath. In Dublin, 23 such persons are boarded out with private families. In Westmeath, the number is 26.
Subject to careful placement procedures being used by health board staff and subject to regular inspection procedures being brought into operation to safeguard the interests of the elderly persons concerned, the scheme has merits. It offers an additional method of providing suitable accommodation for older members of our community and this is to be welcomed. It should, therefore, be seen as a service which is complementary to other, more traditional, methods of providing suitable accommodation for elderly people.
In view of the problem of providing sufficient accommodation does the Minister propose asking other health boards to implement that?
I believe other health boards are considering it.
Would the Minister consider urging others to do this and even offering better remuneration towards keeping those old people in private homes? Does the Minister agree that half the amount it takes to keep an old person in a home would be quite a satisfactory sum towards keeping that person in a private house?
It would be cheaper to keep him in a private house.
The person would be much happier.
Naturally.
Therefore, I am sure the Minister will encourage that scheme.
Has any assessment been made concerning the cost in a welfare home or in a private house?
The overall cost or the individual cost?
The individual cost.
In Dublin it is a total of £14 per week and in Westmeath it is between £12 and £13 per week. There are figures for the cost of maintaining such a patient in an institution but I do not have the details here. In any case we could only go on an average because the cost varies from health board to health board and from institution to institution.
If it was generally known that health boards require people to accept old people it could well be that the scale would drop and people would be interested in keeping them at a much lower rate than this.
The CEOs are aware of all this and they have been considering it.
As the Minister is aware the people generally do not know about this. The health boards have not advertised extensively that they require such people.
That is a matter for the health boards.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
Has it been decided in relation to the matter on the Adjournment I asked you for on two occasions, Question No. 84 of last Thursday? I wondered how you intended disposing of the time because there may be a number of questions.
There are a number of questions and the Deputy's query is receiving due consideration. I will communicate with him as soon as possible.