DONAL McMANUS,
Madam, - I am surprised to read in the article "Initiatives Planned for the Elderly Welcomed"(November 23rd) that there is no reference at all by the Minister responsible for older people in relation to sheltered housing for the elderly.
It is noticeable that successive Governments have continually overlooked support for the operation of sheltered housing for the elderly. Non-profit housing associations in Ireland manage over 2000 sheltered housing units for the elderly throughout the country. There are currently another 2000 elderly people on local authority waiting lists seeking sheltered type housing. However, in recent years there has been a dramatic fall-off in the provision of this type of housing for the elderly.
The reason is straightforward. Although the Government has made finance available for the building of such sheltered housing, it has continually failed to provide revenue funding for the management of such sheltered housing schemes. This is in direct contrast to the situation with private run nursing homes who receive almost €70 million in State subventions each year.
Nursing homes are a key care option for the elderly but not the only one. Indeed there are many elderly people who are residing in nursing homes with 24-hour health care provided to them whether they need it or not. The provision of sheltered housing prevents many elderly people from having to move from their home into nursing homes prematurely and it is a much less expensive care option.
Housing policies for the elderly tend to be limited between encouraging people to live at home as long as possible and moving into a nursing home. Elderly people deserve a greater range of housing and care options and community based sheltered housing can be financially supported for less than one tenth of the cost of state assistance to nursing homes.
The provision of sheltered housing for the elderly by non-profit housing associations will continue to fall sharply over the coming years without government intervention. This needs to happen at once otherwise many newly planned sheltered housing projects will not make it off the drawing board.
In time of greater economic prudence and the Minister for Finances' continuous call for 'better value for money' in public expenditure, he should look no further than to sheltered housing provided by non-profit housing associations as a working example of value for money. - Yours, etc.,
DONAL McMANUS, Executive Director, Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), National Social Housing Federation, 50 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.