Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 3 Jul 1991

Vol. 410 No. 3

Written Answers. - Care of Dementia Patients.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

61 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Health if he will outline (a) the number of beds available for the long stay care of dementia patients (i) under 65 years of age and (ii) over 65 years of age in each-community care area of the Eastern Health Board, (b) the number of dementia patients on waiting lists for long stay care in each community care area and the average length of time each patient has been on the waiting list and (c) the plans which exist for clearing the waiting lists.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon):

The information requested by the Deputy is not available in the format set out in the question. The Eastern Health Board provide a comprehensive range of services for the elderly including those with dementia. The main focus of the service is community based in line with Government policy for the care of the elderly. The board's community services are wide ranging and were greatly enhanced recently by the making available of special allocations for services for the elderly.

The range of community services available include general practitoner and public health nurse care, home help services, means-on-wheels and day care facilities. Assessment and rehabilitation services are available in the acute hospitals and in day hospitals as appropriate. These services are augmented by respite and intermittent care on a planned basis in a variety of settings. These services continue to be developed in line with the recommendations of the working party report on services for the elderly, The Years Ahead — A Policy For The Elderly.

When a patient, including a patient suffering from dementia, can no longer be managed in the community, in-patient services are provided by the Eastern Health Board following assessment. This service is provided in the health board's own institutions and in private nursing homes either by subvention or by contracted beds. There is a continuous demand for long stay placement of patients in the board's area. Admissions are made on the basis of priority need, which is determined at all times by medical/social assessment. The board's complement of long stay beds does not relate specifically to any particular community care area but is allocated in a flexible manner in accordance with the priority needs of the patients seeking admission. Those under the age of 65 years who require long term care are placed in units for the young chronic sick or in subvented beds in private nursing homes.

The breakdown of long stay beds in the Eastern Health Board area is as set out hereunder. These figures include provision for those suffering from dementia: total number of long stay places for elderly patients, 1,547; total number of respite places, 170 approximately; welfare accommodation — places, 238; total number of patients currently in receipt of nursing home subventions, 1,700; total number of places for young chronic sick (including ten respite places), 69.