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A GOVERNMENT CUT in funding for an alert scheme for elderly people has been criticised as “penny-wise and pound-foolish”.
The cuts apply to the Seniors Alert Scheme, run by the Department of the Environment, which the department told TheJournal.ie “encourages and assists the community’s support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to enable older people over 65 years of age, without sufficient means, to continue to live securely in their home with confidence, independence and peace of mind”.
The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of the department.
Reductions
The department said that due to the overall reduction in the amount of funding available for 2013, the changes in the Seniors Alert Scheme, “although regrettable are one of a number of measures which are necessary”.
It should be noted that the reduction will not impact on those persons who have already availed of the scheme.The funding for 2013 is being targeted at those with the greatest need – elderly people over 65 years of age, without sufficient means, and living alone.
The operation of the scheme will be closely monitored and kept under review during the year and should further funding become available, the situation will be re-visited. The Minister is going to work closely with the relevant groups to minimise the effect of the cost reduction.
Over the last three years the scheme has been funded to the amount of €8.3m, which has enabled 23,686 beneficiaries over that period. This year’s budget is €1.150m.
Under the changes:
Reaction
Eamon Timmins of Age Action told TheJournal.ie that the cut took them by surprise, as it “wasn’t specifically namechecked in the Budget”. He believes that if 26 people were to go into a nursing home as a result of this cut because they could no longer live at home, this would cost the State around €1.3million a year.
“I think there is a general consensus this is penny-wise and pound-foolish,” he said of the decision. “It is shortsighted.” He said there are contradictions that exist within government, which is currently finalising the national positive ageing strategy.
Timmins said that at the same time as this cut is being made, rural garda stations are being cut, as are community garda. “These are the supports which are particularly helpful to keep people at home,” said Timmons. “It’s very hard to put a value on peace of mind.”
“The timing is terrible with recent attacks,” he added, noting that a 96-year-old woman who was attacked in Co Donegal used a panic button to contact the gardaí after the incident.
It’s really, really frustrating to see things cut in this way. We are hoping this can be reversed. This scheme has already been cut year after year.
Timmons said that the changes mean that couples living together, or siblings living together, do not qualify for the grant, even if both are frail and would need such an alarm.
Age Action will be seeking a meeting with the Department of the Environment and will also be lobbying for a change to this decision.
He said the situation “will come to a head come April, May or June when money runs out.” “Pressure is going to build on this one – it is a bad decision,” said Timmons.
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Amazing list of accomplishments for someone who is only 42
And to think, if her parents had stayed in Ireland, she could have risen through the ranks of the ICA to become a Branch Secretary or even the lady that does the roster for cleaning the church.
Congrats to her.
Will she condemn the US actions in the Middle East as terrorism?
Nope. She’s a cheerleader. She wouldn’t be where she is if she’d gone around telling the truth!
Sounds like a lot of this administration. Divide the country more and blame the republicans.
As a famous man once said, “Bush is gone”.
she called Hillary a monster :-) good appointment imo
This is the same woman that wrote a book entitled “A problem from hell”. The premise of the book was that the U.S. didn’t intervene enough in another countries affairs.
Correct. She is a major proponent of ‘humanitarian intervention’ – a vile euphemism.
Yeah like those terrible times when they intervened in Somalia to try and protect the food supply to millions of starving people or when they went into Bosnia and kosovo to stop ethnic cleansing. How dare they!
You obviously haven’t watch the film ‘The whistleblower ‘ starring Rachel Weisz . True story .
Peter — Can I interest you in a second-hand car?
Oh you’re hilarious Petr. Why don’t you entertain us with stories of the fantastic human rights record of your heros in Russia, China and North Korea then?
Anyone who actually read the book couldn’t but agree that the delays in intervention documented in the book were mistakes.
But if you’d also read other books and used your own head you might arrive at your own independent conclusion.
@ Peter: Somalia was a long, long way from an attempt to “protect the food supply to millions of starving people”. They didn’t even arrive at the right time or place to prevent the famine – the US (technically the UN, but the US were the largest contingent) went to Mogadishu, while the famine was close to the Kenyan border. (It was also mostly over by the time they arrived.) Instead, they ended up being drawn into the Somali civil war and, at one point, bombed a meeting of Somalis and killed 50 of them in an attempt to kill a Somali warlord. It was a utter debacle, and a terrible example to use if you’re trying to discuss the benefits of humanitarian intervention.
If the ruling classes of powerful states started acting altruistically to ‘save’ people here and there it would be the first time this has ever happened in human history.
Powerful states and other powerful entities tend to behave in a way that protects their own narrow interests. Morality and humanitarianism have literally no place in a discussion of international relations. Those who, against all evidence, believe otherwise or at best deeply naive.
maybe the US ad other countries UK, France etc had aleady intervened and that was parrt of progrma
problem^ sorry for typos
@Peter Gavin
the fact that other countries have a sbad o worse Human rights than USA is no argument to be joyous about the Human Rights in US – which are being removed with Patriot Act and NDAA – and increasing survelliance of the population .
As for interventions – the US record of interventions is disastrous both by themselves and by proxy from Vietnam , to Chile , Chagos Island , Phillipines , Iraq , Afgahistan . Its a long list – like all imperialists they leave behind death and destruction .
IF USA is so great – why dont they stay at home – they dont as they need to rob other countries to maintain their declining [ for the majotity ] standard of living .
taken from John pilgers site – latest article
”The “mess” left by George Bush and Tony Blair in Iraq is a sectarian war, the bombs of 7/7 and now a man waving a bloody meat cleaver in Woolwich. Bush has retreated back into his Mickey Mouse “presidential library and museum” and Tony Blair into his jackdaw travels and his money.
Their “mess” is a crime of epic proportions, wrote Von Sponeck, referring to the Iraqi Ministry of Social Affairs’ estimate of 4.5 million children who have lost both parents
full article
http://johnpilger.com/articles/from-iraq-a-tragic-reminder
”
I love the assumption that if you oppose the US’s foreign policies you must be an ardent supporter of Russia, China, North Korea etc. Can’t I hate everyone?
@aoife but the food aid was being delivered into the port of mogadishu and then intercepted by aidid and other warlords so that’s where the un forces needed to be
@ Jim I’m not trying to portray the US as some paragon of virtue and I disagree with some of their actions certainly but they are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t. Anytime they intervene somewhere they are condemned as imperialists but if they don’t then they are condemned as aloof and uncaring usually with jibes that there is no oil so they don’t care. Well there was no oil in Somalia or Bosnia or kosovo but they acted while Europe wrang it’s hands and did nothing. I remember the horror here when we saw the killing begin in kosovo but there were no protests against the Serbs. However the second The US started to bomb Belgrade there were demos from the usual left wing in Ireland against the Americans despite the fact that they were trying to stop the sort of ethnic cleansing seen in Bosnia. I just hate the knee jerk anti Americanism that is so common here despite them being a good friend to this country and all the ties of blood and culture
I love the assumption that if you oppose the USâs foreign policies you must be an ardent supporter of Russia, China, North Korea etc.
” They are condemned as being aloof ”.
Now that is one word I have never heard about US . They go in guns blazing – unlike the Chinese – who do business .
as for kosovo – again I refer to John Pilger – one of the few real investigative journalists left on Planet Earth http://www.labournet.net/balkans/9911/pilger.html
the fact that there is no oil – well its not always about Oil – but Power and control
What the heck did they do in Indonesia – the great eperiment in New World Order .
Why did they bomb Laos – the most bombed country on Planet Earth .one could give many examples of US inetrference .- Why do they train death squds – to do their killing in other coutries eg Honduras
the whole thing is sickening .They are a Terrorist nation with a Terrorist Foreign Policy – and this woman is now part of it – hardly something to be proud of .
Having it her way theyd probably have nuked the entire planet. But then they’d run out of people to terrorize.
Mistake thinking a government can’t be a terrorist. Pity the British didn’t wipe the Americans out centuries ago….
She wrote a great biography of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN diplomat who was killed in Iraq just after the invasion in 2003. Not sure if her support for the intervention in Libya is something to boast about though. Time will tell.
Her article about the Clinton Administration’s lack of reaciton to Rwanda genocide, published in The Atlantic, is very good. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/09/bystanders-to-genocide/304571/
Obama have Irish roots so he taking care of his Irish families , love it
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