The Health Service Executive (HSE) at present provide a range of home care supports to older people, including Home Care Packages, Home Help, Meals on Wheels and Day/Respite Care.
The development of community based services remains a priority for the Government. During 2009, the HSE expects to provide:
Home Care Packages benefiting around 8,700 people at any one time or over 11, 000 in the course of the year.
almost 12 million Home Help hours benefiting over 54,000 clients
some 21,500 Day Care Places benefiting an estimated 80,000-100,000 people.
over 700 designated Respite Care Beds benefiting around 19,000 people.
The objectives of the home care services provided by the HSE are to keep older people living at home and in their own communities; and to reduce pressures on the acute hospitals and long term residential systems through preventing inappropriate admissions or facilitating delayed discharges.
Despite the current economic difficulties of recent times, our aim has been to protect the overall funding for front-line community services for older people. This objective will be pursued, as far as possible, in the context of the on-going Estimates process and framing Budget 2010.