Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2020
371. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the supports his Department has made available for persons with dementia or Alzheimer’s since the start of March 2020; and the supports planned for the coming months. [27945/20]
View answerCovid-19 and the resultant lockdown have generated specific challenges for people with dementia. Day care and respite services have been suspended, and usual routines have been disrupted, creating additional pressures for people with dementia and their family carers.
My Department and the HSE have ensured that there has been a continued focus on meeting the needs of people living with dementia throughout the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through the Dementia Understand Together Campaign, led by the HSE and working with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), a range of initiatives and resources have been developed, to ensure that people living with dementia stay safe, well and connected, during this time of crisis. The HSE is also signposting people with dementia to voluntary organisations for additional community supports.
The HSE has adapted its community services in order to provide a flexible response so that the needs of people with dementia continue to be met during the Covid-19 crisis. Primary care team support is operating nationwide, with referrals being made to community supports, including the ASI’s dementia adviser service and the local authority community response forums. While home visits have been necessarily restricted, the HSE uses prioritisation and screening measures to identify clients needing home visits.
My Department and the HSE are undertaking work to determine the current level of service delivery in the community and to set out plans, including associated required capacity, to resume services, including day services, in line with the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. This process will take on board the learning of the current period, including the possibility of delivering services in a new way, and the requirement to adhere to public health guidance. As part of this process, the National Dementia Office is developing a new model of care for dementia.
The HSE’s Memory Technology Resource Rooms (MTRRs) now have a central line, where people can speak to an occupational therapist for advice on Assistive Technology and aids to support people at home. The majority of MTRRs are now providing an adapted service through telephone and video assessment and consultation.
In addition, the ASI continues to support people throughout the Covid-19 crisis: its live chat, national helpline, home care, dementia adviser service, and online family carer training all remain up and running. Alzheimer Cafés have moved on-line and ‘virtual cafés’ are now taking place. The ASI has launched a new nurse line initiative with backing from the HSE and the Department of Health. The free call-back service offers people with dementia and family carers the opportunity to book a 1:1 session with a Dementia Nurse or a Dementia Adviser during the Covid-19 public health emergency. This creates a space for people with dementia and / or their families to raise issues that may be arising for them during the cocooning phase of the Covid-19 Emergency. This is hoped to assist people and may help plug the gap where Geriatrician appointments have had to be postponed due to Covid-19.
Guidance for re-opening day centres, including those for people with dementia, has been issued to CHOs. CHOs have been requested to undertake local risk assessments of centres to determine if infection, prevention and control measures can be put in place, to determine if social distancing can be maintained and in addition in order to determine approach to transporting clients to and from centres.
Advice issued from NPHET is that the over-70s, as medically vulnerable people, should continue to cocoon and not be in congregated settings. This cannot be facilitated in day centres unless the number of clients attending services are reduced. The HSE is committed to reopening day services but needs to determine Covid-19 testing strategy for these clients; mindful of increasing Covid-19 community transmission and resolve issues related to physical environments at day centres and ensure a safe transport strategy to facilitate people’s attendance at day centres.
