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consultation on the cost of disability, has highlighted a reality that is too often overlooked, namely, the significant financial burden associated with dementia. People living with dementia and their families frequently face additional costs related to care, healthcare, transport, home adaptations and day-to-day living. Some report … early diagnosis, equitable access to services, stronger supports for family carers, dementia-inclusive communities and measures that address the financial impact of living with dementia. It should also ensure the voices of people living with dementia, their families and advocacy organisations remain central to policymaking. Dementia

Ageing is the biggest non-modifiable risk factor for dementia. It is estimated that there were approximately 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland in 2020, with approximately 11,000 new cases each year. This figure … expected to rise to approximately 150,000 people by 2045, necessitating a sustained Government, HSE and societal response to keep people with dementia living as well as possible at home for as long as possible. A dementia diagnosis affects not only those living with the condition, but also

County Laois, we know the reality of this challenge. It is estimated that we have 800 people in Laois who are living with dementia. Given demographic changes and our ageing population, that number is very likely to grow. I acknowledge the vital role played by local facilities … family carers reduces pressure on hospitals and residential care services. We must also strengthen palliative and end-of-life care for people living with dementia by ensuring specialist services work closely with community teams, residential settings, and family carers. Families also need support during this difficult time. Improving

commend them on all their fundraising work and advocacy. Today, we remember their beloved mother, Geraldine. There are 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland today. Around 11,000 people receive a diagnosis every single year. There are 30 new cases every single … services in the country. We have St. Joseph's Centre in Shankill, which is Ireland's only care home dedicated to people living with dementia. It is home to 60 residents living in six household-style lodges rather than hospital wards. It is a very special place

social care challenge facing the State and it is growing due to our ageing population. More than 64,000 people are living with dementia in Ireland today and this number is expected to double over the next 20 years. Every year, thousands more people and families are affected … Public Gallery are here and why they have done the work they do. Our starting point has to be dignity. People living with dementia, whether early onset, advanced or advancing, deserve care that is person centred, timely and properly planned. They deserve supports that delay progression where possible

service, does fantastic work along with Ratoath Community Centre and advocacy groups such as ASI. They are crucial supports to people living with dementia. I must not forget Whistlemount Day Centre in Navan for the phenomenal support it provides. However, it is worrying that the number of people … living with dementia is projected to approximately double in the next 20 years. There is a deficit of health data. The services and supports must be planned and budgeted for. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and his predecessor, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler

expected to double again to 1.6 million by 2051. In 2020, it was also estimated that there were approximately 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland. This number is expected to rise to 150,000 by 2045. The improved health outcomes and extended life expectancy that have … Dementia. The model of care sets out care pathways to advance timely diagnosis and post-diagnostic support and care for people living with dementia in Ireland and sets targets to achieve this goal. To support the implementation of this model of care, the Government has funded new specialist

November, so I and my family know about the major impact it has and that impact is profound, not only on those living with dementia but also on spouses, children, siblings and carers who provide unwavering support every single day. While progress has been made, too many families … those loved ones. It has been said before that the measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable. People living with dementia deserve compassion, dignity and the highest standard of care. It is time for us to remember and honour their voices and support their

that turned out for them in Carlow and Kilkenny just speaks a thousand words. Very few of us do not know somebody living with dementia or a family grappling with the daily challenges of caring for a loved one with the condition. Everyday tasks like paying bills, preparing … people and their families are living with this as their daily reality, and that number is set to double over the next 20 years. It is vital that the State takes a proactive approach to supporting those with dementia, ensuring they can remain in their own homes

individual and they also support the family. We know that an awful lot of older people in Ireland with dementia, including my own godfather, can live very well in their own communities with the wrap-around supports of the 62 specific day centres that we have. Some … advocacy they are doing for every single person around the world, especially here in Ireland, who is living with dementia because it is not easy

lead-up to this debate, there has been a focus on the provision of home care support. For most people living with dementia, as we heard from many contributors, the overwhelming wish of people is to remain in their own home, in familiar surroundings with their families

have the physical, financial or emotional capacity to do so? I have a constituent in Donegal who is an elderly man living with dementia. His wife has since passed away. He is now facing the impossible task of negotiating engineers, contractors, finances and building. He is one example … worked all his life. He has contributed to society. He has done everything that is expected of him. Instead of living life in the last years in comfort, he is trapped in a nightmare where he cannot go forward. Does the Taoiseach accept that vulnerable and elderly people

justify tax breaks for the likes of McDonald's and Starbucks while imposing this charge on older people managing multiple medications - people living with dementia, disabilities or brain injuries - is beyond me. This move will reduce people's independence. It will heap pressure on family carers. It risks … adherence, leading to avoidable harm and higher long-term costs for our health service. Let us be crystal clear: this decision will damage lives. This is not just poor policy; this is heartless. I urge the Minister to reverse this decision

know the Minister of State and the Government are committed to increasing the provision of public nursing home places, especially for people living with dementia and Alzheimer's. However, we must look beyond institutional models. We need to build a continuum of care that enables older people

contributions. This was a very good, robust and genuine debate. Most people had had some connection to someone with dementia and the impact on their lives. One of the programme for Government commitments was to design a statutory home care scheme, so I sat down and looked … music therapy. We are doing work in that space. Fundamentally, the Government’s abiding objective is to ensure that people with dementia can continue living in their own homes with their families and supports. Once again, I thank Jordan, Cian and Helen for being here today

months because I cannot find him a nursing home. This is going on around the country. We need a plan for people with dementia. Trust me when I say I know what I am talking about here because I deal with it every day in my own life … talking to it after I leave this Chamber. We, collectively here, need to put a plan in place because people are living longer. Dementia is growing because people are living longer as well. We need a plan. This gentleman paid his taxes, worked hard and raised a fantastic

over the line, because bringing services to people in the community, especially those with dementia, is really important. You can live well with dementia in your community with the correct wraparound supports of home care, day care, meals on wheels and the like of the memory clinics. When … services. I had the honour of being able to write that into the programme for Government. I feel strongly about dementia supports, regardless of where people live. I am disappointed to see that this is the current situation. I have been told that referrals can be made

valuable to listen to how other people have experienced dementia in the lives of their family members. What unites people in this Chamber is our desire to make sure anyone who has dementia is supported to the best ability this country can provide and to support family members … that many people, many of my neighbours, colleagues and friends, have experienced this. We need to make sure the person with dementia is able to live at home for as long as possible and be supported by professionals; that the family members are supported by professionals

passed away over the summer then being told their father has to find a new home after eight years of living in the Sarsfield Court dementia-specific unit? This is a unit where the patients are loved and cared for by the staff and their families … want to see them moved from it. A man in his 80s contacted me. His wife is in the Sarsfield Court dementia unit. He lives not far from it, and he walks to it or gets a spin from his neighbours, brilliant neighbours, who bring him there

Blister packs are essential for people who live with dementia. They are an essential part of the lives of people on medication who live at home. It is even essential for first aid responders who come to houses looking for people, as they know what they have taken

thousands of people across this country, including people who might not ordinarily be clued into issues relating to dementia because it may not have directly affected their lives. Within my own community, I have been struck by people talking about Jordan and Cian's mission, the 33 marathons … thank them for all of their work. They have been an incredible inspiration. Almost 70,000 people in this country live with dementia. While many of us think of it as an older person's condition, it is important to say that there quite a number of people

away last December and while I am extremely thankful for the long and healthy life he had, his final years were dominated by dementia. His memory diminished. His world got smaller every passing day and, sometimes, I looked into his eyes and saw absolute fear and confusion … feet and, for two and a half or five minutes, they got some sense of the experience of what it is to live with dementia. After I came out of it, I do not think I was ever as scared about how people must feel all day long

people will no longer receive tablet blister packs free of charge. We are talking of tens of thousands of older people living with conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's. They rely on tablet blister packs to help manage their medication. We are also talking about people with … these packs. This is a bad decision for the Government at any time but it made this cruel choice during a cost-of-living crisis when every euro is precious to people. It is like it cannot stop itself from making life harder for people. It hiked

particular what has stayed with me from the media coverage of it was the question of the licence to live for people with early onset dementia or associated conditions. I congratulate them on all they have done to raise awareness. Dementia is a terrible disease. It is devastating … unscrupulous. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland estimates there are approximately 70,000 people with dementia in Ireland today. Not all of them are elderly; some are in the prime of their lives but have been struck by a disease through no fault of their own. We know

affect them or their loved one. Vulnerable users of the blister packs such as older people managing multiple medications, people living with early-stage dementia or Alzheimer’s disease or people with arthritis find blister packs really handy. This will directly affect their health and safety. One woman

community pharmacies; the circumstances in which medical card holders may receive them without an additional charge where clinically required; whether people living with dementia and other patients who face medication-safety risks are covered by these arrangements; whether clear guidance will be issued to all community pharmacies

home support are being refused or delayed due to funding being exhausted; the steps she will take to ensure that no person living with dementia is left without the care they have been assessed as needing (details supplied); if she will confirm the commencement date for the legislation

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health if her Department has plans for people living with dementia to be assessed for disability services based on their individual needs rather than, or in addition to, being routinely referred for older persons’ services; and if she will make

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to ensure that people living with dementia can access the home care they have been assessed as needing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53429/26

Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the number of home support hours delivered to people living with dementia from the total allocation of home support hours provided in 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43790/26

Health if the target set out in Budget 2025, whereby 20% of new home support hours will be ringfenced for people living with dementia, was achieved; if there was any shortfall in the provision of dementia-specific home support hours for older people; the proportion of the target

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if her Department holds up-to-date figures on the number of people living with dementia in each county; if so, to provide the most recent breakdown; and if not, to state whether a national dementia register exists

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline plans to expand counselling supports for people living with dementia and family carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36184/25

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the merits of providing for cost-of-living supports for people with a diagnosis of dementia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31506/26

Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the merits of providing for cost-of-living supports for people with a diagnosis of early onset dementia, particularly for those very much short of retirement age; and if he will make a statement on the matter