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A CO-AUTHOR OF a new report has expressed concern that the areas most under pressure from the ageing in Ireland are the ones most likely to have their budgets cut.
The publication from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), on the use of health services by older people in Ireland, concluded that social care services are likely to face rapidly growing pressures with ageing.
It found that elderly people who live alone are more likely to visit the GP, and are also likely to spend more nights in hospital.
Ageing Ireland
The report, written by authors, Aoife McNamara, Professor Charles Normand and Professor Brendan Whelan, was launched today.
Prof Charles Normand said that to a significant extent, this report is encouraging, “as it shows that in many instances services are focused on those most likely to need them, eg visits from public health nurses and home help are focused on those over 80 years”.
However, he cautioned that “there are some disturbing messages”.
Recent budget cuts have tended to fall heavily on precisely the services that are likely to be most under pressure, especially those that support people to remain at home or to leave hospital when their treatment is complete. At times or rapid retrenchment there is a tendency to cut where you can and not where you should.
He also said: “It is also disturbing to see the extent to which those without medical cards are not using important services”.
People without medical cards were found to be low users of community services, which the authors said suggests that practical as well as financial barriers reduce use of services such as chiropody and physiotherapy.
The report showed that age is not a significant driver of health service use, with factors related to age (such as declining health or higher levels of entitlement) being more important.
But in contrast to hospital and GP care, the report found that community and social care services were likely to face rapidly growing pressures with ageing.
It also found that married people have longer hospital stays than single people, and that some service use decreases with age, such as dental care.
The full report can be accessed via this link.
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How much more can the Irish take where being whipped by a government who only interests are comming top of the class to our European counterparts
The fighting irish me arse
Silly people. Paying out massive pensions to retired bankers, senior public servants and former politicians is more important than the old and the frail.
Most of the elderly people that the government are taking money from have worked all their lives paid their taxes and insurance to insure that they can live in comfort when old. The government has now taken that from them and has them worried about staying warm and buying food. Totally disgraceful behaviour towards the elderly
Is there any feedback on the conference on fuel poverty in the EU taking place in Dublin? Ireland is one of the worse countries in the EU on this issue which Minister Pat Rabbitte is addressing. No news on RTE, or most other outlets on this issue makes you wonder.
Sad but we can’t do anything about it ,It not like the government works for us ?
Not can’t, can’t be bothered.. Most submissive nation in the world.
“Clog up”? The old don’t have a right to treatment?
Without good community supports, greater numbers of the elderly will clog up our acute hospitals ,
Making these supports pro-active is key to implementation
The Irish government should be sacked forthwith. How long will we have to wait?
Just vote DDI and they will change the old system , the rest just want to keep their heads buried the trough.
The election of the new Pope is perceived to be vastly mor important and newsworthy than this issue. Interesting priorities.
Any government party that renages on pre-election promises are the lowest of the low. I used vote Labour but I would not touch them with a bargepole now. Fine Gael are very much their blood brothers. There are no depths to which they wouldn’t sink? Spineless, gutless liars, every single one of them, They have systematically robbed the elderly and disabled of this country. They will now remove cash from the vulnerables bank accounts of welfare payments. Has Michael Fingletons bank account beeen touched? Of course not. They wouldn’t dream of doing anything to upset ‘Dear Old Fingers’. We Irish are a laughing stock of the world for putting up with this. I keep in touch daily with many friends throughout the world and they are in bewilderment that the Irish people tolerate this constant theiving of ordinary peoples taxes in order to placate the greed of bankers. I would have expected it from the Blueshirts but I am dismayed that a peoples party like Labour have decided to be a party to this . They have lost my vote and respect forever,
this gov, has no interest whatsoever in the people surely thats obvious by now
if they were any way honest they would reduce their outrageous salaries by 50%
nobody needs the amount they give themselves to have a decent standard of living
unfortunately there s not enough people prepared to do anything about it
too many lickarses in the country
More cuts while all our Tds and councillors anandon our country and head away on expensive junkets for Paddys day,they should be ashamed
U.S.C.,pension levy,Tablets up 30%,Telephone, Airtricity Fuel What Fuel? Fingers!! How can he sleep
at night??. Who needs or who’s worth a million never mind eight of them.
No one to vote for.
Brian 79
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