The Government treats carers and the elderly they care for as the "weakest link" when it comes to cutting costs, the Dáil has been told.
In a private members' debate on care for the elderly, Mr Paudge Connolly (Ind, Cavan-Monaghan) said that when the cost of home help went up, the Government reduced the number of home help hours, "treating the situation as an exercise in balancing the books".
He said that last year the North Eastern Health board cut 80,000 home help hours, equivalent to 40 full-time jobs. "The tragedy is that these jobs are at the cutting edge of service delivery, involving hands-on people providing a fantastic cost-saving service for the health board."
This year the board restored 35,000 hours by "raiding the reserve fund". Mr Connolly paid tribute to the board for doing this even though it was like "selling the silverware".
The motion demands that the Government immediately put in place adequate resources and comprehensive infrastructure for the care of the elderly.
About 440,000 people, or 11 per cent of the State's population, are over 65. Some 25,000 elderly people are in long-stay beds or nursing homes, and a further 13,000 elderly people in need of high to maximum dependency care continue to live at home.
The debate was sparked following comments by the Tánaiste about the provision of care for the elderly.
However, Ms Mae Sexton (PD, Longford-Roscommon) condemned as "rubbish" opposition criticism of Ms Harney's remarks.
She insisted that "no one, least of all the Tánaiste, has suggested that all families should pay more for care or that the State has no responsibilities". Instead, Ms Harney "has clearly spoken out for the older people who are abandoned by some relatives who then expect to inherit their relative's assets. These are the minority of cases" but they happened.
"It is difficult to make rules and policy to cover this, but the least any of us can do in the meantime is to speak out against this unfair and uncaring behaviour."
Mr Tony Gregory (Ind, Dublin Central) referred to a daycare centre in his constituency where "cuts in funding for their home help cause chaos". The Lourdes centre on Seán McDermott Street "in the heart of one of the bleakest urban inner centre areas, survives not on State funding but through weekly lotteries, raffles, appeals and donations as well as the selfless commitment of a small group of voluntary workers".
