Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 29 Feb 2000

Vol. 515 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Security of the Elderly.

Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin

I wish to share time with Deputy Penrose. I welcome the opportunity to raise this important matter. The issue of personal safety is of vital importance to our elderly population, particularly in a society where the extended family is being subsumed by small nuclear family units, many of which have opted for urban lifestyles. The changing pattern in society has left many older people living alone in rural areas. Contact with their families is often limited to telephone conversations and weekly visits. As a measure to reflect this change in lifestyle, every effort should be made to ensure that the personal safety and security needs of older people living alone are catered for.

The community support scheme for older people, which was introduced by Deputy De Rossa during the last Administration, was an important contribution in addressing the security needs of elderly people. The scheme was introduced mainly in response to a spate of attacks on older people in their homes, most of which took place in rural areas. Under the scheme a grant of up to 90% was made available to cover the cost of personal safety alarms. Since the scheme was first introduced in 1996, over 30,000 older people have secured extra protection for themselves and their spouses. However, this scheme was introduced with a view to being extended and developed, and was not intended to be left on the shelf without modifications to reflect the rapid changes in society.

I am aware that until recently there was a significant backlog in applications which were put on the long finger due to inadequate funding. Furthermore, I am aware that the grant aid for the scheme was significantly reduced in some areas, falling from the original 90% funding to as little as 39%. However, the main point I wish to address is the fact that the socially monitored alarm provided under the scheme is virtually inaccessible to older people living in more isolated areas. This is because the alarm is accessed in the main through community alert schemes or community groups which are in a position to apply to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for a grant covering 90% of the cost of the alarm. As I have already pointed out, the availability of 90% funding is now sadly an aspiration for the majority of applicants who in reality get a much reduced sum.

Older people living in isolated rural areas with no community alert scheme do not have the mechanism through which they can apply for the grant assistance for a socially monitored alarm. The only option open to them is to purchase the alarm, and I understand that the cost could be in the region of £400, a sum which is out of the reach of most elderly people. It is grossly unfair to two neighbours, one might be able to afford it while the other cannot. It is ironic that those people most isolated are those with least access to safety and security provisions.

I am calling on the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs to immediately make provision to allow older people living in areas where no community alert scheme operates make an application for a grant to cover the cost of the alarm directly to his Department. Furthermore, it is necessary that resources be made available so that 90% funding is sustained at all times under the scheme. I see no reason the grant for the purpose of fitting alarms could not be increased further as many older people have great difficulty in coming up with the necessary 10%.

Mr. Penrose

I thank my colleague for sharing time with me. As she indicated, the reason this matter is being raised is that we, like our colleagues on both sides of the House, are particularly concerned about the personal safety of our elderly population. As was stated, the pattern of society has changed significantly in the past two decades, with many elderly people living alone in isolated rural areas. These people depend on visits from their family or may be lucky enough to have a telephone to make contact with the outside world. Also, the postman is often the conduit through which these people communicate with the outside world.

It behoves us to make the personal safety and security needs of elderly people a priority. Since 1996 about 30,000 have availed of the grants scheme which covers the cost of the personal safety alarm. The very essence of the scheme was to ensure that the personal safety alarms were available to those who needed them and it was anticipated that the grant would cover up to 90% of the cost of the alarms, but, as my colleague pointed out, this was an illusion. Alarm costs rose in line with the cost of living.

I support Deputy Moynihan-Cronin's call for the Minister to ensure that in areas where no community alert scheme, community service organisation or appropriate organisation for the elderly exists and where eligible applicants for the scheme reside, the grant should be paid directly to the applicant, who is very often isolated. I am aware of numerous such examples in County Westmeath and despite the best efforts of community groups to cover all these areas, it is not always possible. The grant should be paid directly to the applicants and should be increased to meet the full cost of the alarm to overcome these obstacles. It costs approximately £400 to install an alarm and that is a small price to pay for the safety, comfort and security of our elderly.

Mr. Treacy

I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter regarding our older citizens. The Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs has, since 1996, operated the scheme of community support for older people, the purpose of which is to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people by providing funding for small-scale security equipment, such as door locks, window locks, socially monitored alarms etc. To receive assistance under the scheme applicants must be aged 65 or over, reside alone or with other dependants and must not be in a position to cover the once-off cost of installing the necessary equipment.

Since the Government came to office, a sum of £13 million has been made available for this scheme and up to the end of 1999 68,444 people had been assisted under it. My colleague, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Deputy Ahern, is anxious to ensure that it continues to address the security needs of the most vulnerable older people in our society and, accordingly, a sum of £5 million has been provided for the scheme in the Department's Estimates for 2000.

The funding made available under this scheme is provided by way of grant aid for voluntary groups and organisations which have undertaken to identify those elderly people in need of assistance under the scheme. This is a key element in making the scheme what it is. The involvement of voluntary organisations in identifying those vulnerable older people in the community in need of assistance under the scheme was recommended by the task force on the security of the elderly as a means of ensuring the greatest level of local involvement and providing the best opportunity for meeting individual needs.

The involvement of such organisations in identifying and addressing the security needs of older people in the community creates opportunities for them to develop wider links with these people in their areas and has the potential to increase, in a very real sense, the support network available to vulnerable older people in the community while also allowing for a flexible response to individual needs. The knowledge of local conditions and people that local voluntary organisations possess has also allowed for a sensitivity of approach in administering the scheme. The Minister appreciates that individuals may not always be aware of which voluntary organisations in their area actively participate in the scheme.

However, the Department, through its various offices throughout the country, seeks to assist such individuals by advising them of which groups at local level are participating in the scheme and by putting them in touch with such groups if necessary. In addition, the Department aims to ensure that individuals are aware of the scheme by ensuring that it is widely advertised on a national basis and by disseminating information on the scheme through a range of voluntary organisations and through the community liaison section of the Garda Síochána. Disseminating information in this way also ensures that vulnerable older people in the community who may not be aware of the scheme's potential benefits can be targeted for assistance by voluntary organisations.

The Minister is anxious to ensure that the scheme continues to address the security needs of the most vulnerable older people in the community and will review it on an ongoing basis to ensure that it continues to meet this objective in the most efficient and effective way possible. If the Deputies have specific cases in mind, the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs local regional offices will be glad to assist in finding a suitable solution to any difficulty citizens have.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 1 March 2000.