Age Action has urged the Government to revise the terms of how the Fair Deal legislation is implemented to ensure that the basic needs of nursing home residents are met in return for charging them 80% of their income, up to 15% of the value of their homes, and 5% per annum of other assets.

Under the agreements reached between the nursing home owners and the National Treatment Purchase Fund the charge does not include the cost of basic care needs for non-medical card holders such as incontinence wear, physiotherapy, chiropody or specialised wheelchairs. “These are basic needs for every nursing home resident, regardless of whether or not they hold a medical card, and should be included in the services covered by the deal,” Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said.

Age Action welcomed today’s announcement of a commencement date for the scheme. The news will bring greater clarity for many families struggling to meet the cost of nursing home care.

However, the older people’s charity warned that the Government must ensure that the scheme is adequately funded so that everyone assessed as being in need of a nursing home bed can get one under the scheme and that there are no waiting lists.

“On the basis that everyone on the waiting list has been professionally assessed as being in need of a nursing home bed, it is unclear if the waiting list will operate on a first-come-first-served basis, or if the most needy will be given priority,” Mr Timmins noted.

Once the Fair Deal scheme is introduced the State’s existing subvention supports will cease for new residents, with the result that those on the waiting list for a bed will either have to wait or pay the full cost of a private bed. In such a scenario, they would be worse off than families who can currently avail of subvention if they fail to get a public bed.

For MEDIA QUERIES CONTACT EAMON TIMMINS, HEAD OF ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS, AGE ACTION, 01-4756989 OR 087-9682449