Mary Butler
Ceist:40. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health if the 2019 HSE service plan will provide for new and expanded services for persons living with dementia. [50724/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 December 2018
Ceisteanna (40)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
Will the 2019 service plan provide for new and expanded services for people living with dementia?
I thank the Deputy for her succinct question. The short answer is "Yes" but the slightly longer answer is that we must wait for the service plan for 2019 to be finalised. There is ongoing engagement between my Department and the HSE in that regard and, as would normally be the case, I expect to be in a position to approve the service plan this month and to publish it before Christmas.
I wish to acknowledge Deputy Butler's work and leadership in the cross-party group on dementia in this House. She will be very familiar with the national dementia strategy which aims to improve dementia care so that people with dementia can live well for as long as possible. Plans are progressing to further implement the strategy through the national dementia office, NDO. I had the pleasure of attending a really good meeting with that office about a month ago and heard about its work on the areas of diagnosis, post-diagnostic supports and the prescribing of anti-psychotic medications. The Deputy will also be aware that the HSE provides intensive home care packages to people with dementia to enable them to continue living with assistance at home but I accept that we will need to see the provision of more of these packages. The Department has also secured funding through the Dormant Accounts Fund for additional projects to improve care for people with dementia. One such project is the development of assistive technology memory resource rooms. I had the pleasure of visiting one such room in St. Colmcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown and another in Clonmel.
A recently completed mapping exercise provides a useful snapshot and baseline study into what, where and when dementia-specific community based services and supports are being offered. The study has also been used to inform a service finder hosted on the NDO’s website. This allows people to search for dementia-specific community services in their area. I acknowledge that there are gaps in access to services and a large variance in the services that are provided across the country. The NDO has met senior HSE officials in each community healthcare organisation, CHO, area to highlight the gaps that exist and to develop local action plans to improve service provision.
My Department is continuing to work with the HSE to prepare the 2019 national service plan. Pending a final agreement, I am unable to give specifics but it is my hope that we can improve services in this area in 2019.
Long-term planning is required for the approximately 55,000 people living with dementia and their carers. Population ageing is happening all over the world and Ireland is no exception in this regard. We are all living longer, which is good, but people want to live at home, safe and secure in the knowledge that if they need medical assistance, it will be provided to them. The number of people with dementia in Ireland is expected to increase.
It stands at 55,000, but that figure is expected to increase in the next three years to 68,000. My question is specifically about dementia care advisers, of whom there are eight in the country and who cover 11 counties. When a person is diagnosed with dementia, the support of a dementia care adviser cannot be underestimated. In order to provide a service for everyone with dementia, 32 dementia care advisers are required to cover the entire country. If we could see an increase of eight advisers year on year for the next three years, we would meet that target.
The Deputy is right to highlight the fact that more and more people are being and will continue to be diagnosed with dementia. Eleven of us will receive that diagnosis each and every day. It is estimated that there are over 55,000 people who have a form of dementia. There are about 4,000 new cases each year. After the age of 65 years, the prevalence of dementia nearly doubles every five years, but, of course, onset can occur at a much younger age. There are 4,000 people under the age of 65 years with early onset dementia. Based on population projections from the CSO, the number of people with dementia will double to 115,000 by 2036 and treble to 157,000 by 2046. Therefore, we have a lot of work to do to prepare our society to enable people with dementia to live and live well. I am very much aware of the work done by dementia care advisers and that the Alzheimer Society of Ireland provides a dementia care adviser service which is funded by the HSE at eight locations nationwide. I am aware that an evaluation was conducted by UCC to investigate how well it worked and provide recommendations on the future development of the service. The evaluation was published in September and recommended the continuation and expansion of the service. This is being considered as part of the national service plan process.
The mid-term review of the national dementia strategy which was launched in May acknowledged that people with dementia and their families were still dealing with inadequate services and supports. Unfortunately, the level of support varies according to one's address. I acknowledge that there is a lot of good work being done, of which there is no doubt. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has been leading the way in providing help and support throughout the country. How we care for older people with dementia, in particular those with early onset dementia, will demonstrate the Government's determination to be inclusive and compassionate. I welcome the money allocated from the Dormant Accounts Fund. In my constituency of Waterford a memory clinic has been set up in St. Patrick's. It is the first in the area. I reiterate the importance of dementia care advisers and the need for people with dementia to have access to one, no matter where they live.
I have heard the Deputy advocate for dementia care advisers and appreciate and acknowledge the role they play at the eight locations. I also acknowledge that an independent evaluation has been conducted by UCC which very much sees the merit in and the need to expand the service. Obviously, we are having this conversation at a time when the HSE has received a budget of €17 billion. It needs to map the services it will provide in 2019. I expect that process to conclude shortly. One of my views which I am happy to share with the Deputy is that while she is right that a lot of good work has been done with moneys allocated from the Dormant Accounts Fund, as she has seen in Waterford and I have seen in my community and others, we need to look at how we can move beyond that funding to have a proper budget line for the National Dementia Office. I hope we can make some progress on that issue in 2019 and build on it further. Given the number of people being diagnosed with dementia on a daily basis, the direction of travel in terms of the services we need to put in place is clear for all to see. I hope we can make progress in that regard in the national service plan.