I have written to the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Older People, Ms. Áine
Brady with regard to the opening of the new purposed built Dementia Daycare Unit built on the grounds of the Clarecastle Daycare Centre.
Last month, I was part of a deputation who met with Minister Brady on the 25th of February seeking a final resolution to this issue . The Centre has been completed since May 2009 but remains closed.
The Minister was asked at our meeting to have a detailed examination of the file and come back to the interested parties within a period of a month to six weeks. I am concerned at the lack of progress and failure of the HSE in establishing a dementia daycare centre facility in Clarecastle. This Centre would serve a catchment area with a population of 48,000 providing vital services for the person suffering from dementia and valuable respite for their carers .”
The amazing success of the District Daycare Centre in Clarecastle can be expanded upon if the new purpose built Dementia Daycare Unit is given the green light by the Minister and the HSE. There is presently a waiting list of people suffering from dementia seeking these services. It’s an absolute scandal that the doors of this Unit remain closed.
The idea to build such a facility is based on all public policy as set out in various reports which identified the importance of community based facilities with the emphasis on normalisation of the condition of Dementia. The local community have put in an inordinate amount of work in to this project. I have asked the Minister to report back on her deliberations and hope that she will have positive news.