Kildare TD calling for dementia-specific day care centre in North Kildare

Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North, Frank O’Rourke, has called for the provision of a dementia-specific day care centre in north Kildare.

Deputy O’Rourke was questioning the Minister of State for Older People and said, “There is no day centre in north Kildare for people with dementia, an area with a population of approximately 120,000. There are currently 1,229 people with dementia in Kildare so that’s quite a significant number of people who require a service which is simply not in place. We know that where a person has dementia there are three family members also directly affected. They provide care for them on a day-to-day voluntary basis and their own health deteriorates as a result."

“Providing a two-day per week care centre to help people living with dementia in north Kildare has been costed at approximately €70,000. In the grand scheme of things this is reasonable money, yet people living with dementia in north Kildare are starved of services at the moment because the funding is not available. As it stands, most people living with dementia in this region must travel to other locations like Dublin and south Kildare to access services. They should be able to access care as close to their community as possible and without impediments. The nature of the disease is such that routine and consistency are key to helping a person cope," he said.

“It’s worth remembering that over the next 30 years, the number of people in Ireland over the age of 65 will double and the number over the age of 85 will quadruple, while the population of north Kildare is rising rapidly. It is not unreasonable to request support for some of our most vulnerable people and their families”, concluded Deputy O’Rourke.