Vol. 503 No. 5
51 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children the principle objective of the home help scheme; the benefits accruing from this scheme; the support and training available to people participating as home helps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10428/99]
Government policy in relation to the care of older people is to maintain them in their own homes for as long as possible and the home help service has a key role in implementing this policy. There are approximately 12,000 part-time home helps employed throughout the eight health boards and the number of beneficiaries of the home help service throughout the country is around 20,000.
Following consultations with the chief executive officers of the health boards, my Department commissioned an examination of the future organisation of the home help service in this country by the policy research centre of the National College of Ireland under the direction of the National Council on Ageing and Older People. This report The Future Organisation of the Home Help Service in Ireland was published recently and is being considered in my Department and the health boards. One of the key issues addressed was that of training and we will be paying particular attention to this aspect. I have made available funding for training of home helps to each of the health boards in the current year.
