The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has said that the difficulties faced by those with dementia during the lockdowns, show what awaits, if the government does not urgently fund the expansion of dementia services.
The charity is calling on the government to put 15-million euro of capital supports in place to make existing dementia facilities Covid compliant, but also to cope with the growing demand for dementia services.
They say that there are 64,000 people with the condition in Ireland and that that number will more than double to over 150,000 in the next 25 years.
Dementia day care centres in Bandon and Midleton have been unable to reopen because of a lack of suitable centre.
Speaking to RedFM News, the Chief Executive of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Pat McLoughlin says this lack of investment will make certain that people need nursing home care much sooner than otherwise:
"People have had a very difficult time during Covid. They haven't been able to get out. Cocooning and issues like that have been very, very difficult. And their mental and their physical health has suffered. And if people don't get access to these types of services, it's inevitable that they will deteriorate both mentally and physically, and then it's absolutely certain that people will end up in nursing home care much earlier than might otherwise have happened."
