October 29, 2009 at 1:48 pm
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged elderly, older people, pensions, seniors
An Bord Snip Nua has proposed a 5% cut to all Social Welfare payments. A cut to State Pensions would increase the risk of poverty for a majority of older people.
OLDER PEOPLE are experiencing “a deep sense of worry and insecurity about the future of the old-age pension and other supports and services”, it was claimed yesterday.
The claim was made by the Older Bolder group, an alliance of seven Irish organisations that represent and work with older people. It was based on feedback from consultation meetings held by the group in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Sligo, Waterford, Tralee, Trim, Tullamore and Wexford between November 2008 and June this year.
The Older Bolder’s members include Active Retirement Ireland, Age Opportunity, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the Carers Association, the Irish Hospice Foundation, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and the Senior Help Line. Further information is available on their website www.olderandbolder.ie
Find out more by logging on to www.homehelp.ie
Permalink
October 29, 2009 at 1:34 pm
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged carers, elderly, home care, home help, NESF, older people, seniors
IT CAN be very difficult for older people to get information on how to apply for the homecare packages introduced by Minister for Health Mary Harney in 2006 to assist older people live in their own homes, according to a report. A review of the homecare package scheme by the National Economic and Social Forum says applicants often have to make a multitude of calls and be sent “from Billy to Jack” before they get information on whether they are entitled to help. For one person it took 18 telephone calls over 10 days to finally find the “right” person to talk to.
Furthermore the report, published today, finds that eligibility criteria for the scheme varies between different HSE areas, as do the amounts of funding which may be provided to successful applicants. It says the Dublin North Central area has a much higher proportion of homecare package funding per person over 65 years than other areas. Carlow/Kilkenny had lower than the national average proportions of home help hours and homecare package budgets per person over 65, while Dublin West had higher-than-average proportions of both. Average amounts paid out a week under the packages varied from €71 to €400 in different regions. “This provides at best inconsistencies and at worst inequities in the amount of care which people can access through a home care package,” the report says. Some €120 million was allocated to the scheme in 2008. In addition there are different means tests and different medical assessments for the scheme in different areas. Sometimes there were double or even triple assessments of care needs. The report says the reason for these inequalities and inconsistencies is that national guidelines on the how the scheme should operate were not put into action.
Concerns about lack of training and supervision, as well as a lack of Garda vetting of some people providing homecare services under the scheme, are raised in the report. It says this has potential to lead to elder abuse. It also says there are no set standards for the care being provided and little monitoring of outcomes. A further complication is the fact that there are many organisations, including the HSE, private healthcare providers and voluntary home-help organisations, delivering homecare packages. “Instead, different provider groups appear to be defensive of their work practices and wary of each other.” More than 100 submissions were made to the review group. Some pointed to the homecare support workers’ “lack of punctuality, irregular attendance and unwillingness to undertake some tasks” that were needed by the older person.
While many older people were positive about the packages, some also raised concerns about the lack of sufficient hours of care provided. Some said there was “the implied threat that if they complained about the insufficiency of hours that these would be further reduced”. A homecare package can include nursing care, home help and/ or various therapies such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy. About 8,000 people were availing of them in December 2007. EITHNE DONNELLAN Health Correspondent, Irish Times.
Find out more by logging on to www.homehelp.ie
Permalink
October 27, 2009 at 12:35 pm
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged older people, seniors, elderly, over-65s
RTE could be left to foot a €60m bill if the Government pulls the plug on its sponsorship of TV licences for over-65s. The move has been mooted as part of the ongoing negotiations ahead of December’s Budget. It has been reported that some Cabinet members want the State broadcaster and not taxpayers to fund the initiative. However, the bill could prove catastrophic for RTE, which is already grappling with a massive shortage of cash. Evening Herald 26/10/09.
Find out more by logging on to www.homehelp.ie
Permalink
October 14, 2009 at 11:35 am
· Filed under Carer Issues, Child Care Issues, Senior Care Issues ·Tagged carer, carers, children, pension plan, PRSA, retirement, seniors, women
PERHAPS the easiest way for self-employed people to set up a pension plan and save on tax is by taking out a standard PRSA (personal retirement savings account). PRSAs are not only for the self-employed but can be used as an investment medium for long-term retirement by employees, homemakers, carers and unemployed people.
The key attraction is that for every €100 you save into the plan for your own retirement, you will get back €59 from the taxman; so that €100 will really only cost you €41 (assuming you pay at the 41pc tax rate).
Saving is easy. Some people pay in a regular monthly amount, while others wait until they have completed their accounts and their accountant advises them how much, in one lump sum,they need to pay into their plan to maximise the saving on tax.
The other attraction of a standard PRSA is the low commission charges. Today, standard PRSAs have just two maximum charges — 5pc on all contributions to the plan and a 1pc annual management charge.
The 5pc is what pays the commission, so in these recessionary times you may be able to bag yourself a better bargain by haggling a lower charging structure with your intermediary.
Starting a standard PRSA is easy but not every life insurance company offers them. Those that do are: Ark Life, Canada Life, Danica Life, Eagle Star Zurich, Friends First, Hibernian Aviva, Irish Life and New Ireland.
Considerations for women
Currently, fewer women than men have independent access to a pension. There are many reasons for this. For example, two-thirds of women in the 40 to 60 age group find the time involved in looking after children restricts their ability to save for their retirement. It is unfair that some women will reach retirement age and discover they are not entitled to a state pension — a point pension policy must address.
Until that dream is realised, remember the biggest risk facing women in retirement planning is doing nothing. Any savings are better than none and the more you save into a pension plan the better.
Also within this 40 to 60 age group, 75pc are married and the average woman will outlive the average man. So a married woman should ensure that when her husband retires, his pension is set up on a joint-life basis that will provide a continuing income to her after the death of her husband. (Writes John Geraghty Irish Independent).
Permalink
October 13, 2009 at 8:57 am
· Filed under Child Care Issues ·Tagged child care, childcare, childcare benefit, childminder, children, esri
The ESRI is proposing that child-benefit payments be cut by 20% as part of measures to plug the massive deficit in the public finances. The suggestion is contained in the think-tank’s latest quarterly economic commentary.
The ESRI also says it can see a need for further cuts in public-sector pay, but it is arguing against a proposal by An Bord Snip Nua to cut welfare payments by 5%.
Elsewhere, the organisation says it expects modest economic growth to resume in the latter part of next year.
It says it expects private consumption to fall by 2% during the year, with investment contracting by around 15%.
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/esri-proposes-20-cut-in-childbenefit-payments-14529232.html#ixzz0TnwJZ2Nj
Permalink
October 6, 2009 at 4:24 pm
· Filed under Child Care Issues ·Tagged care, child, Child Benefit, childcare, childminder, children
The Irish Sports Council has developed a programme specifically aimed at children aged 2-5 years. The Buntús Start programme has been developed to support childcare workers and teachers in introducing young children to sport and developing their interests.
The three key components of the programme – training, resource cards and equipment – are designed to provide easy to understand, and accessible support to give children a fun, but high quality, introduction to sport.
Dublin City Council Sport and Recreation Team and Dublin City Childcare Committee are encouraging a number of childcare services to participate in the programme. If you are interested in finding out about those providers who are participating in the programme, contact Aideen O’Connor, Sport Recreation Officer, South East Area Office, Sport and Leisure Services Section, Culture, Recreation and Amenity Department, South East Area Office—Dublin City Council Block 2, Floor 2, Civic offices. (www.homehelp.ie)
Permalink
October 6, 2009 at 10:57 am
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged elderly, fair deal scheme, nursing home scheme, older people, seniors
Age Action welcomed yesterday’s announcement of a commencement date for the Fair Deal Scheme, however, the older people’s charity warned that the Government must ensure that the Fair Deal Scheme is adequately funded so that everyone assessed as being in need of a nursing home bed can get one and ensure that there are no waiting lists.
The charity also highlighted the fact that the National Treatment Purchasing Fund did not agree to to include the cost of basic care needs for non-medical card holders such as incontinence wear, physiotherapy, chiropody, or specialised wheelchairs when reaching price agreements with Nursing Homes. (www.homehelp.ie)
Permalink
October 5, 2009 at 12:07 pm
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged age action, elderly, fair deal scheme, home help, nursing homes, older people, senior care, seniors
Today in the Irish Times Pamela Newenham reports on the Press Conference made by Minister of Health Mary Harney in which she announced that the Fair Deal nursing homes support scheme is to commence on October 27th.
Under the scheme, which was announced by Ms Harney in December 2006 and which was due to begin in January 2008, people going into nursing homes will be able to defer payment for their care until after their death, when the State will be able to recoup up to 15 per cent of the value of their home to cover the cost of their care.
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 was signed into law on July 1st and sections of it were started on July 3rd to enable the purchase fund to begin price negotiations with private nursing homes on behalf of the State.
The Scheme is designed to remove real financial hardship from many individuals and their families who, under the current system of Nursing Home Subvention, have to sell or re-mortgage homes to pay for the cost of nursing home care.
Note: The List of participating Nursing Homes is currently being compiled by the National Treatment Purchase Fund and ’may’ be available through the Dept. of Health over the coming weeks, however, this remain unconfirmed. Having approached the HSE, they will only disclose the list of participating Nursing Homes after a Care Needs Assessment and Financial Assessment has been carried out on the older person. Once approved, a Nursing Home is selected based on care needs, and not on logistics!
Permalink
October 3, 2009 at 6:16 pm
· Filed under Senior Care Issues ·Tagged elderly, irish, older people, people aged 65 years, Senior Care Issues, seniors
Reported in the Evening Herald, People aged 65 and over should take high-dose vitamin D to help stop them falling over, researchers said today. They can cut their chance of falls by 19pc if they take 700 to 1,000IU (17.5 mg to 25mg) of the vitamin as a daily supplement, they said. The research, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found a dose lower than 700IU per day had no effect. Effective Eight clinical trials on more than 2,400 people were included in the review of studies. It concluded that vitamin D2 at high doses could cut the risk of falling by 19pc while vitamin D3 could lead to a possible 26pc reduction. The vitamins began to have an effect within two to five months of starting treatment and were still effective after a year, it found. Previous research has shown that vitamin D improves strength and balance among older people, while other studies have found no significant effect on the risk of falling. Severed deficiency of vitamin D has been shown to cause muscle pain and weakness. Emergency The experts, from the University Hospital Zurich and Harvard School of Public health in Boston in the US, said: “Each year one in three people aged 65 years or older experiences at least one fall, with 9pc of falls leading to an emergency room (A&E) visit and 5-6pc resulting in a fracture. “Fall prevention has, therefore, become a public health goal, especially as the older proportion of the population grows.” hnews@herald.ie – Jane Kirby
Permalink
September 28, 2009 at 7:58 pm
· Filed under Carer Issues, Senior Care Issues ·Tagged elderly, employment, migrant care workers, older people, seniors
The Report was written by Dr. Kieran Walsh and Professor Eamon O’Shea and was funded by Atlantic Philanthropies. The aim of the research was to explore the implications of the recruitment of migrant carers for the delivery of health and social care to older people, for the living and working conditions of the migrant carers, and for immigration, integration and older adult care policies.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Aine Brady said “I am very much aware of the invaluable role played by carers who give support to, and contribute greatly to the well-being of people in their care. In many instances, the presence of carers facilitates older people to maintain a level of independence and mobility that would otherwise not be possible without this invaluable support”.
“As we move forward, migrant care workers will continue to be an invaluable asset in older adult care in Ireland and therefore, as a society, we need to ensure that the entitlements of both older people and migrant carers are protected. The recommendations in this report will be a valuable tool when formulating future policy and practice that ensure the safeguarding of these entitlements”.
Check out http://www.dohc.ie/press/speeches/2009/20090925.html
Permalink
Older Posts »
