I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, to the House. It may well be her first time here on the Adjournment of the House. I wish her well in the future as a Minister of State.
Care of the Elderly.
I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing me to raise this important issue not just for the elderly people of Inishowen but also for the many other elderly people and their families. The elderly were once young. They worked and produced families and at the end of their lives, they deserve comfort and security in their health and physical circumstances. I welcome that the budget increased the State pensions by €12 and €14 a week and gave an extra week's fuel allowance.
Some years ago medical cards were introduced for all people over 70 and there are ongoing voluntary and community grants for safety in houses, insulation etc. Considerable investment has been made in voluntary housing to allow elderly people to avail of secure and often sheltered accommodation that affords them their own independence while also having the feeling of community. The home care packages developed over recent budgets are very important also because pensioners want to be at home.
I may be selfish in raising this matter because I aspire to be one of the elderly in the future and there are a number of us around. As the Minister of State knows, many elderly people are lonely and some can feel very isolated. While they might live in a town, they may not have people visiting. Life has changed and people seem to have more difficult lives and to live them at a faster pace. The concept of the family may not be as cohesive with people no longer living on top of each other as much as they did in former days.
There is an initiative in Inishowen, which began in Buncrana, called "Good Morning Inishowen". Volunteers offer their time to call a number of people who have agreed to the phone call. They receive it at a certain time on a certain day so they expect it. If they do not feel well they can inform the person at the other end of the phone. While he or she may not be a medical person, it allows the elderly person to relieve his or her mind of how good or bad the day was with someone at the other end of the phone to listen to their woes or concerns or even just to have a bit of fun, which I discovered is as much part of the job as anything else. Having spoken to recipients of calls and to volunteers, both have gained from the initiative. Many people are lonely despite the many packages allowing them to stay in their homes. If they are lonely in their houses it is a considerable drawback which may push them over the edge and force them to enter a nursing home. If they do not, they may remain isolated, lonely and fearful.
The Minister of State has a great opportunity to bring together many aspects. While I have spoken about the loneliness aspect, the safety aspect is also an important part of the difficulties experienced by elderly people. There has been investment in panic bells, spy holes, special doors and lights that come on automatically. In the context of the safety aspect the Minister of State should work with the Garda, which I am sure she is doing. If the feeling of insecurity among elderly people arises as a result of youths going slightly astray, the Garda should consider using the Children Act to deal with it. If it arises as a result of criminal acts they need to be addressed promptly. If elderly people are being attacked it should be a priority for the Garda to respond properly.
I would like to see development of rural transport to allow these people to continue to go to church, hospital, shops etc. The "Good Morning Inishowen" service has been operational on a pilot basis and I commend those involved. It has been supported by the Health Service Executive and I believe John Hayes has been central in this regard. The project needs to be put on a statutory basis so that those involved do not wonder from year to year or month to month whether they will have the funding to enable them to continue. I would like to think it is a model that could be expanded countrywide. Any initiative that improves the quality of life for elderly people is important.
I am not one to commend any old initiative or pilot project. This one is in my area, I know it very well and I know the value it is to the community. I know also the Minister of State met a group from the organisation when she recently visited Donegal. The people she met at the conference there spoke very highly of her. The cares and needs of the elderly are in a safe pair of hands. I hope the Minister of State will work with her colleagues in other Departments to ensure these good projects can be rolled out and that when we need these facilities in a few years' time, they will be in place for us.
I thank Senator Keaveney for raising this matter which I know is very dear to her heart. On my recent visit to County Donegal I became acquainted with the successful telephone service project, "Good Morning Inishowen". I met Deputy Blaney that day and both the Minister of State, Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, have also contacted me on this matter.
I reaffirm the Government's commitment to services for older people. The development of services for older people is a high priority. This is reflected in the funding committed to services for older people in the budgets for 2006 and 2007. In 2006 the Government funded the largest ever expansion in services for older people with a full year cost of €150 million. In the 2007 budget, a full year package of €255 million was allocated for services for older people. In the budget today for 2008, the Minister for Finance announced details of further funding allocated to the health services which includes even more investment in services for older people. The budget provides an additional €396 million for the health Vote group which includes €135 million for older people. A total of €25 million of this is targeted at community supports. In total, over the past three budgets, €535 million has been added to services for older people.
Government policy relating to older people is to support people to live in dignity and independence in their homes and communities for as long as possible and, where this is not possible, to support access to quality long-term residential care. This policy approach is renewed and developed in the latest partnership agreement, Towards 2016.
"Good Morning Inishowen" is a telephone link line service for older people which has been operational in Inishowen since August 2006. The service is due to commence in the Cloghaneely area on 10 December 2007 and in the south Donegal area in early 2008. The service is fully staffed by volunteer telephone operators who commit to approximately three hours each week. Approximately 120 older people are in receipt of a call approximately three days each week, but this will increase to five days early next year. Volunteers check that the older person is safe and well and also update them on any other services they might avail of in the area. They also assist with any queries. This service complements the work of the public health nurses and home support workers in helping older people who choose to stay in their own home.
The present situation in Donegal is as follows. The two-year INTERREG III A funding ceased on 30 November 2007, the Health Service Executive has agreed to pay the co-ordinator's salary for the period from December 2007 to December 2008, CAWT has sourced €15,000 which will sustain the service until 31 March 2008, the service requires €108,000 to operate for one year in Inishowen, Cloghaneely and south Donegal, and the management committee is looking at all other funding options, including corporate and community agencies in the three service areas.
As the Senator is aware, the Health Act 2004 provided the Health Service Executive with responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services. As a corporate body the provision of these services, including the delivery of services by agreement with voluntary and community organisations, is a matter for the HSE. Funding for health services has been provided as part of the HSE's overall Vote for health and personal social services in 2007. The allocation of resources into 2008 is a matter for the HSE in accordance with the overall priorities for particular services as set out in its service plan for the coming year.
I undertake to contact Mr. John Hayes, the local area health manager, to ensure the additional funding which will be approved by the Government later tonight will be channelled into the north west area and specifically to the "Good Morning Inishowen" project. I will make a firm request for that funding in support of this excellent service.
I thank the Minister of State because she has answered the question I would have asked as a supplementary.