07 Mar Sunday Independent Letter
Dear Editor,
In the Sunday Independent on the 12th of February, Saint Joseph’s Shankill was named as receiving the highest per week payment from the State, in the voluntary / private nursing home sector. €1325 is still 20% less than we need to break even financially, even with the many cost saving initiatives and non-replacement of retiring staff over the last few years. We only manage to continue to provide care because of the financial support of Saint John of God Hospital CLG.
Saint Joseph’s is the only care home in Ireland solely dedicated to dementia care and with 60 residents; we are the largest dementia specialist care unit in the country.
Three quarters of our residents are classified as ‘maximum dependency’, they require full assistance for all of their needs; washing, dressing, eating, toileting, etc., they depend on our carers to meet these needs. We are also caring for their many complex social, psychosocial, emotional and other physical needs of people living with dementia and supporting their families too.
This all requires especially skilled and trained staff, all of whom give of themselves completely to provide round the clock care to our precious residents at Saint Joseph’s.
Our pay scales are equivalent to the Department of Health consolidated pay scales and pension contributions. But it seems the value of our expert care is NOT equivalent in the eyes of the State, if we had access to the same level of funding as HSE funded homes we could break even and indeed implement our expansive plans for further dementia care in the community.
There are 55,000 people living with dementia in the country today, which will increase to 150,000 over the next 20 years. Dementia is being diagnosed more and more frequently, we want to ensure that everyone living with dementia, feels wanted and needed, supported and loved and most of all that they feel alive.
Our vision is to lead the way in dementia care in Ireland and to become Ireland’s first ever dementia village. We believe we have the expertise and passion to spearhead a dementia friendly community here in Shankill and beyond, and to truly make our community welcoming to all.
We need the Department of Health and the HSE to believe and value that too.
Siobhan Grant