David NallyEditor
Of all the cruel blows that life can deal, Alzheimers has to be one of the cruellest. Tonight's Prime Time Investigates exposes the reality of life for families who are trying desperately to look after an elderly parent who can no longer fend for themselves and in many cases can't recognise their own children. So inadequate are state services that one woman was advised by her GP that her only way of forcing the state to care for her mother was to simply abandon her in A&E.
In Ireland, Alzheimer care is mainly delivered through a home care/home help service which is described by one expert as "so negligible, it's like there isn't one..it's a sham of a community service." What service there is is entirely discretionary according to how much money the local HSE has at any given time - needless to say the service is currently in the process of being cut.
You can read a detailed comparison of how Alzheimers is dealt with in each individual EU country at this link.
And it's not just elderly people with Alzheimers/dementia who struggle to access home care but any elderly person who is in need of someone to come into their home and look after them or a centre that they can access nearby.
If you have experience of the system or if you have any views on the subject please post your comment below
