Care Needs of Older People Living in Sheltered Housing

The Irish council for Social Housing (ICSH) the national representative body for voluntary housing associations, has claimed in its’ mid year statement on progress on sheltered housing that the health care needs of older people living in sheltered housing are being overlooked.

Sheltered housing is recognised as an intermediate housing and care option for older people between living at home and not having to move to nursing or residential care prematurely.

Non-profit housing associations and members of the ICSH provide almost 3,500 sheltered housing units in sheltered housing projects, both in urban and rural local locations throughout the country, yet less than €2m was allocated to sheltered housing in 2008 for care and support costs. This support for older people living in sheltered housing of less than €2 million per annum represents around €1 per day for every older person living in sheltered housing and this is not a serious commitment by the Minister for Health.

Donal McManus Executive Director of the ICSH explains ‘Sheltered housing provided by non-profit housing associations has long been recognised has having huge social and financial benefits in allowing the option of older people to live in their own community close to their friends and families’. Mr McManus added, ‘In addition, the on site care and support services in sheltered housing are provided at fraction of what it costs to support older people in nursing and residential and nursing care’.

The ICSH in its mid year review of sheltered housing identified 3 key areas that the Government now have to take action on to restore the confidence of voluntary housing providers of sheltered housing.

• Calling on the Minister for Health to now show some leadership on the issue of sheltered housing and ensure that commitments in the last National Social Partnership Agreement Towards 2016 in relation to delivering of sheltered housing are actually followed up on.
• Explain the total lack of transparency in the allocation of revenue funding by the HSE for the on site care supports in sheltered housing in 2008 where none of the additional revenue funding was provided for sheltered housing outside one part of Dublin and ensure that the budget allocation for sheltered housing in 2009 would reflect what is required to provide the service.
• Follow up on the recommendations of the Department of Health/Minister for Health own advisory body-The National Council on Ageing and Older People -on sheltered housing in 2007 on sheltered and supportive housing, none of which have been acted upon as yet.

While there always has been Government supports for the physical construction of sheltered housing, through the Department of the Environment, revenue funding for the on going support from the HSE to run the service on a day to day basis has been lacking and not provided on a sufficient scale or in a planned way.

Dr Jerry Cowley, Chair of the ICSH Special National Special Needs Committee and Mulranny Housing Co. Mayo claimed ‘there seems to be a total lack of awareness by the Government that sheltered housing is provided throughout the country for older people by voluntary housing associations and not just one part of Dublin’. This he added ‘has caused a huge amount of anger amongst sheltered housing providers who deliver services on a not for profit basis and now feel are taken for granted by the Government’.

Dr Cowley calls on the Minister for Health to now state how she is going to ensure that commitments on sheltered housing are going to be followed up on ‘as quite frankly the lack of action in 2008 gives no confidence amongst sheltered housing providers that the Government is actually committed to sheltered housing, he concluded’.

Ends

For further information contact Donal McManus on 01 6618334.

Media Notes:

• The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) is the National Federation of non-profit housing associations with over 300 housing associations affiliated nationwide.
• Housing associations now provide over 20,000 homes for rent for families, elderly, homeless people and people with disabilities.
• Housing associations build one in four of all new social rented housing.
• Voluntary housing associations provide over 3,500 homes for older people in sheltered housing nationwide both in urban and rural areas
• Sheltered housing as well as housing accommodation comprises on site supports such as on site meals and various forms of care support short of nursing care.
• The Irish Council for Social Housing is a member of the Community and Voluntary Pillar of Social Partnership and involved in the Social Partnership negotiations