I dtosach báire, ba mhaith liom a rá gur ceist an-tábhachtach í seo agus ceist daonnachta. I would like to bring to the Minister's attention the care of elderly people in the Western Health Board region, particularly in the Connemara area. The problem arises because of the organisational resources within which the health board operates. At present elderly people needing full-time care and attention are all channelled through St. Brendan's Hospital in Loughrea. Subsequently if they are lucky — there can be a long delay in this — they can be transferred to one of the other homes for the elderly in the county. To highlight the serious problem these people face in practical terms I put it to the Minister that if he or I suggested that people in Dublin had to go to Ballinasloe for an extended period before a place could be found for them in a Dublin home for the elderly, there would be an outcry.
St. Brendan's, Loughrea is 25 to 30 miles from Galway city and many places in Connemara are 50 or 60 miles on the other side of Galway. Many old people are cared for in geriatric homes up to 80 to 90 miles from where their relatives live, if their relatives want to visit them it would entail a round trip of between 160 to 180 miles. At a very conservative costing of 20p per mile the cost to somebody from Carna, Cleggan, Ballyconneely or Clifden of visiting a relative in Loughrea would be approximately £32. If one were to make the trip weekly it would cost £32 which represents a huge proportion of income of someone on social welfare of £57 or even £80. If the person does not have transport, the cost of visiting relatives becomes totally prohibitive. It must be remembered that a great many people living in these areas are dependent on social welfare.
The other problem is the social dislocation of people taken out of their natural environment and put in a totally different one. I accept that St. Brendan's in Loughrea is an excellent home. Nobody who has any contact with the services would dispute that. There would, however, appear to be a lack of organisation in putting people into homes so far away.
A further problem I would put to the Minister is that faced by the people in the Gaeltacht areas. These people often become disorientated when taken from their normal linguistic surroundings and when they have to deal with doctors and nurses, and people in general, through the medium of English. Most of the old people in these areas have a certain amount of English but Irish is their first language. A large number of people in the south Connemara Gaeltacht have only a certain amount of English and in times of stress revert to the Irish language. Therefore, the extension of the provision of care, through the medium of the Irish language, in the natural location is of double concern to them.
I know the Minister will accept this point and that in providing resources for the Western Health Board region these factors will be taken into account. I mentioned Merlin Park. For most people in Connemara the option of going to Galway as opposed to Loughrea is preferable. If there is to be a halfway house or an assessment centre — which assessment can continue for one or two years — Merlin Park would be far preferable than a town which is 30 miles at the far side of the area we are talking about.
Ar an gCeathrú Rua, tá cúram anmhaith á dhéanamh do mhuintir na Gaeltachta ina dteanga féin. Tá comhluadar nadúrtha ansin a thuigeann fadhbanna na gcainteoirí dúchais agus atá in ann deileáil leo ina dteanga féin. Déantar go leor cainte faoin nGaeilge agus ar an gcaoi ar chóir í a chothú. Feictear domsa gur fearr cúram daonna de sheandaoine a chur ar fáil ina dteanga féin seachas anchuid seirbhisí eile.
I should like to draw to the Minister's attention a point of grave importance, that of the strict adherence to county boundaries within the Western Health Board region which causes people living one mile on the Galway side of the Mayo border to be sent to Loughrea rather than to homes in Castlebar. I hope the Minister will see his way to providing the resources to ensure that proper health care for old people is provided within their own communities and that nobody would have to go more than 30 miles to have geriatric care in County Galway.
