'Terrifying and isolating' - Kilkenny families feel pressure as homecare is cut

A local woman has expressed deep fear and anxiety for the future of adequate homecare for older people living in North Kilkenny.

Aine, originally from the area, is one member of a loyal family caring for their elderly father and like many others, their father wishes to remain in his own home while he grows old.

However, for Aine and many other local families the task of caring for older loved ones is at crisis level as vital services continue to be curtailed, leaving them with no choice but to seek private homecare assistance elsewhere.

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The HSE’s home support service provides professional care for ageing people from daily tasks such as help getting dressed, intimate personal hygiene and ensuring meals are provided. This essential service is provided by contracted external companies and proved to be a ‘lifeline’ for both carers and caregivers, Aine told Kilkenny Live.

"We do our best as family caregivers and have learned to become amateur councillors, nurses and pharmacists," she said.

"But the HSE support service carers provide a much more professional, trusted and safe daily routine for dad.

"Their arrival is a breath of fresh air as dad is often house bound and does not see other people from one day to the next," she added.

One of those providers, Irish Homecare, who are contracted to provide care fortnightly to a large proportion of the North Kilkenny region, reduced this support last September.

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"My family received a letter from the HSE Home Support Office stating the crisis is due to staff shortages and staff resigning from Irish Homecare," according to Aine.

"Not only did this put our dad at risk, it added additional stress and demands on us as my father requires two people to safely physically support him," she added.

"More devastating news was received this month when our weekend support was further revoked and is now only once a month."

The news has left Aine and many families in a similar boat locally scrambling for solutions as they face into an uncertain future with fears amongst some in the community that no viable alternative to nursing home care may be available in the years to come.

Aine's family did not get a replacement from the list of 20 further providers sub-contracted by the HSE despite follow up requests.

"We hoped that after ten months since the first reduction of care, the HSE would have solved any recruitment issues and staff shortages as a priority for older people but, incredibly, it’s now worse," she added.

"Even after 12 years, we can’t give our dad the professional skilled care he gets from HSE carers," admitting there may be no viable alternative to nursing home care in the future.

"I’m not just concerned for our own situation but what about elderly people who are trying to live independently on their own. Who advocates for them? If our elderly are treated with such increasing disregard now, what will our collective futures look like as the system continues to fail?"

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