Emmet Stagg
Question:470 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children the expenditure on home help services for each authority and health board for 2002. [31288/03]
Written Answers. - Care of the Elderly.
The policy of the Department of Health and Children on services for older people is to maintain them in dignity and independence at home in accordance with their wishes, as expressed in many research studies; to restore to independence at home those older people who become ill or dependent; to encourage and support the care of older people in their own community by family, neighbours and voluntary bodies; to provide a high quality of hospital and residential care for older people when they can no longer be maintained in dignity and independence at home. The role of the home help service is vital to this policy.
Since my appointment as Minister of State, I have been encouraging the authority and the health boards to introduce personal care packages for older people as an alternative to long-stay residential care. Personal care packages are specifically designed for the individual concerned and could possibly include the provision of a home help service, home subvention payments, arrangements for attendance at a day centre or day hospital and other services such as twilight nursing. Personal care packages allow older persons the option of remaining living in their own home rather than going into long-stay residential care.
Details of expenditure on the home help service by the health boards for 2002 is as follows:
|
Health Board |
Home Help Budget 2002 |
|
ERHA |
€21,673,347 |
|
NEHB |
€8,788,108 |
|
NWHB |
€7,987,268 |
|
MHB |
€7,970,000 |
|
MWHB |
€9,459,248 |
|
SEHB |
€8,891,659 |
|
SHB |
€28,000,000 |
|
WHB |
€12,344,989 |