Support for Handicapped People at Home
The Minister says services for people with disabilities are being developed to help them remain at home, including community care, training, sheltered workshops and day care.
asked the Minister for Health the assistance, if any, available to persons who are mentally or physically handicapped living at home.
18.
Comment on this
asked the Minister for Health if the existing services for the physically handicapped in Ireland are satisfactory; if not, the measures it is intended to take to improve and extend these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Comment on this
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together.
There is continuing development of the services available to the handicapped.
It is now well established policy to maintain handicapped people in their own homes, as far as possible, by building up the community care services.
Voluntary social service organisations for the handicapped are supported and encouraged in various ways. Resources are being made available for the provision of training and sheltered workshops and day care centres, home help and meals-on-wheels services. Where circumstances so require, health boards may supply special requisites which invalids may be unable to provide from their own resources.
The specific schemes of financial assistance for the handicapped are the constant care allowance of £35 per month payable in respect of handicapped children whose parents have to devote an exceptional amount of time to their care, and the Disabled Persons Maintenance Allowance for adults, the maximum rate of which is £15.20 per week with effect from 1 April 1979. A review of the organisation and staffing of the National Rehabilitation Board is under way at present with a view to equipping it for a more active role in the development and implementation of programmes for training and employing the handicapped.
19.