Many Leitrim families 'worried' about lack of home care help

Cllr Roisin Kenny asked that Leitrim Co Council contact the HSE to ensure that "adequate staff are provided to cover the home help hours being allocated to people. This is an essential service for the elderly and disabled in our communities and plays a vital role in ensuring that people can remain and be cared for in their own homes for as long as possible. I am aware that many service users and their families are worried and concerned about the ongoing staffing shortages and lack of emergency cover in the south Leitrim area."

Cllr Kenny said believes that home help is a less expensive option for the state in caring for vulnerable people. “Home help is an essential service that allows people to stay in their homes and be cared for often for many years. This is at much less expense to the state than the alternative which often would be nursing home care."

She added that home helps "are the ones to raise medical concerns early enough so that they can be treated at home avoiding hospital stays which is very important for vulnerable elderly people".

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“Very often family members are also caring for the elderly or disabled members of our communities and they rely on the support of the home help services in order to do so," she adds.

Cllr Kenny continued: “The HSE managers tell us that they are advertising and trying their best to recruit but the situation on the ground doesn’t seem to be improving. There have been several retirements in the Ballinamore area recently and this has added pressure on families with the worry that their loved ones will be left without care. Unfortunately this was the situation over the Christmas period where a home help called in sick and there was no one to pick up her hours so vulnerable elderly people were left with no service" and said it was essential that more is done to recruit home helps. 

Cllr Gary Prior seconded the motion saying he spoke with HSE management regarding the home care situation and "it is actually at crisis point at the moment in South Leitrim."

He said that a person retired at Christmas and the HSE "knew that person was retiring for 12 months and yet that position was not advertised. This week, another lady is retiring in Fenagh who has 10 or 12 patients and there is no one take over from her."

He added that "vacancies are not advertised" and asked that the issue be raised at meeting of the Regional Health Forum, West. 

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Cllr Mary Bohan said "keeping people in their own home is beneficial for the person, their family and community and 99.9per cent of people want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible" and that the HSE's "long-term planning in this case leaves a lot to be desired."

Cllr James Gilmartin said that they are unable to attract people into the job due to lack of financial incentive. "It's just not attractive enough and they cannot get people. The funding issue is a key thing here. The benefit of home help is transformative."

Cllr Eddie Mitchell also supported the motion as did Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn who said that the training is also an issue as it takes up to a year to complete. We had a course three years ago and 30 people started and three finished. They need to do day-training services". 

Cllr Brendan Barry said people have been "months in hospital because they couldn't the help at home and that is taking up beds are vitally needed".