The Irish Wheelchair Association has been scathing of the way in which local authorities operate the Disabled Persons' Housing Grants scheme.
It found that an estimated 6,000 people across the State are waiting for grants to make their homes accessible and that many local authorities are engaged in a process of financial cutbacks and "reviews" in order to reduce the costs involved.
The operation of the scheme runs counter to Government policy on community health care which encourages the independence of people, particularly older citizens, and reduces the need for hospital and nursing home care.
Some local authorities have provided an efficient and well-administered service to disabled people but others have presided over what the Irish Wheelchair Association describes as "a shambles". The shortage of funding for local authorities in the latest Government estimates has exacerbated that situation. A handful of councils suspended the scheme while others introduced means tests and prioritisation lists in order to cut back on costs. The situation is likely to worsen unless there is intervention from Government.
Under the scheme, wheelchair-bound or incapacitated people can apply for a grant to adapt their homes so that they can continue to live in them safely. They are entitled to 90 per cent of the cost of conversion, be it the installation of a stair-lift, downstairs toilet and washing facilities, a bedroom, or other work, up to a maximum of €20,000. The local authorities can reclaim two-thirds of this funding from the Department of the Environment. The cost of the scheme has escalated in recent years as public demand has increased.
The cost of keeping a disabled or elderly person in nursing care has been estimated at eight times the cost of adapting and providing health care within their own homes. At a time when the Department of Health is struggling to make acute hospital beds available for emergency care patients, the proper utilisation of this scheme not only offers considerable savings but also allows people the chance to experience a high quality of life within their own communities.
The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Mr Ivor Callely, has initiated a review of the scheme because of complaints of chronic under-funding. Given the lack of resources within the Department, however, it is unlikely that extra money will be made available unless broader health issues are taken into account. This is one instance where the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, should be able to recognise value for money.