An 88-year-old woman in receipt of homecare services from the State has called for 100 per cent grants for older people who want to make alterations to their homes to allow them to live independently.
Eileen Finn, who lives in Palmerstown, Dublin, said the fact that at present grants covered only 90 per cent of the cost of such alterations could put some older people off.
Having to cover 10 per cent of the cost could prove to be a financial burden for a lot of older people, she told the international conference on homecare for the elderly at Trinity College Dublin, yesterday.
Mrs Finn has been living alone for the past 10 years since her husband Donal died. She is still hale and hearty, but has become less mobile in recent years as a result of the onset of arthritis and osteoporosis.
However, with the assistance of a good neighbour, family members and a number of carers, as well as an excellent local daycare centre, she is able to continue to live in her own home and this is where she wants to be.
A few years ago, when climbing the stairs in her home became difficult and painful, she told how she engaged an occupational therapist at her own expense to assess her needs and her home.
Acting on the advice given, she applied for a county council grant to get her bathroom adapted to her needs with a walk-in shower and disabled toilet. A stairlift was also installed. She received the grant, but had to foot 10 per cent of the bill herself.
She has also installed a house alarm, an audio video link to her front door and a motion sensor security light all at her own expense, and she has a personal alarm pendant.
After a stint in hospital, she said that the Health Service Executive (HSE) provided her with an electrically controlled bed, a walking aid, a commode and an orthopaedic chair.
However she had to spend two weeks longer than necessary in hospital while she waited for all the necessary supports to be put in place for her return home. She advised older people to ensure that all the services they required were in place before they left hospital.
The HSE also provides her with a carer during the week, but she said she would feel more independent if this service was available seven days a week. She depends on her family to help her get up, wash and dress at the weekends.
She also has a home help for a few hours two days a week to do her housework and cook her dinner. She said this should be extended to seven days a week when the local daycare centre was closed for holiday periods.
She also suggested to the HSE that it organise regular visits by a public health nurse to older people living alone.
Ms Finn attributes her long life to being happy. She recalled for delegates how she married in 1950 after she and her husband had saved the £250 they needed for a deposit on a house in Dublin. They had four children, who she said are still very supportive.