Madam, – The Irish Times is to be congratulated in drawing attention to the declining provision and delivery of care and services for old people in Ireland (Editorial, August 10th).
There are many old people who very much wish to continue living in their family home and would be glad of grants and other services to make their living situation physically easier. Many elderly people are fortunate enough to have family or friends who help them. However, there are also many old people for whom installing a bathroom downstairs or having a home-help call in twice a week, will not deal with the fundamental problems of loneliness, insufficient self-care or fear at being frail and living alone in a house. This is a problem that desperately requires a solution but doesn’t get one as the people dealing with it on an official level are not yet old and frail themselves and just don’t want to go there.
Refusing to think about being old and frail doesn’t mean it won’t happen – there is an ageing population and even those wishing to plan for their old age cannot as the facilities to support this do not exist outside of expensive rural retirement communities many miles from a town or city.
There are many old people who can’t manage at home any more (for social reasons as much as for physical reasons) but who do not want or need constant care. However, the only choice at present is between home and nursing home, which is too stark a choice.
There should be a middle ground between these two options. That could be sheltered housing, which would provide a safe, supported living space with on-site staff on call if residents need them. People would have a community to get to know and talk to, while maintaining the independence of having their own front door and apartment.
Out of this economic crisis has come an unparalleled opportunity to provide a substantial number of safe and supportive communities for old people by converting to sheltered housing (at very little cost) the many unsold blocks of apartments which are in prime central locations in our towns and cities, thus giving old people the chance to live at the centre of the community instead of on the fringes.
Elderly people have just as much right to social housing as young people and families, please let us now do more than just pay lip service to their needs. – Yours, etc,