Home help exits hurt elderly

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN THE retirement of more than 60 home helps from across the HSE West region by the end of the month is causing considerable concern among support agencies for the elderly. The staff losses come on top of ongoing cutbacks in the service in the region and more severe reductions are expected over the coming months. Community-based services for the elderly are also likely to be affected by the early retirement of at least 30 public health nurses in the West while staff shortages in other acute services are also having an impact. Up to the end of November there were 13,313 people in receipt of home help hours in the HSE West area but this is well short of the annual target of 14,400. The health service was also considerably behind in delivering its target of 3.5 million home-help hours across the entire region and hadn't reached the three million mark close to the end of last year. Hit last year The home-help service, which is largely availed of by older people, was already hit last year with a significant reduction in hours and cut backs in the use of contract and agency staff. Age Action Ireland told The Tuam Herald that they are concerned at the large numbers of frontline staff who are retiring from the health service in the West and are calling on these people to be replaced. Spokesperson Gerry Scully said the value of the home-help service cannot be underestimated, particularly in rural areas. 'It is a vital service that helps keep older people at home and living in the community, where they want to be. A lack of community services forces these people into homes and hospitals,' he commented. Galway Co Cllr and member of the West Regional Health Forum Cllr Mary Hoade is hugely concerned about the pressure being placed on home-help services and the wider community-based services as a result of budget pressures and staff losses. She says older people are being kept in hospital through no fault of their own because of a lack of public step-down facilities and availability of home-help hours. Cllr Hoade says staff shortages in University Hospital Galway aren't helping matters either. Hours could be cut by 30,000 'It is completely unacceptable that there isn't a full-time discharge officer in UHG at the moment and that the position is being filled on a part-time basis,' she remarked. It's speculated that the number of home-help hours provided by the HSE West could be slashed by more than 30,000 hours this year. Cllr Hoade will raise the matter with HSE West officials at the regional forum meeting at the end of the month but points out that most of those taking early retirement will already be gone by then. She described the situation as 'grossly unfair' and pointed out that some elderly people simply can't manage on their own without the service. Cllr Hoade said most older people can't afford to pay for private nursing home care on a short-term basis and they don't have the funds for private home care either. The West has one of the largest ageing populations in the country and Cllr Hoade said the geography of the region means that many people don't have easy access to community services. 'I know of some appalling cases in recent weeks and it's causing unease and worry among the elderly.'