Thirty-seven people with disabilities on Mayo waiting list for residential placement
STATISTICS secured by Aontú show that 37 people with disabilities are waiting for a residential placement in Co. Mayo.
Responding, the party's Mayo representative, Paul Lawless, said it is clear that throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the most vulnerable have been left abandoned. This is particularly obvious when it comes to people with disabilities.
In response to a parliamentary question from party leader Peadar Tóibín, the HSE have confirmed there are currently 37 people from Mayo on a database waiting on a HSE-funded residential placement.
The HSE did not indicate how long some of these people have been waiting, but, he said, from the statistics for other counties, this wait can sometimes be in excess of a decade.
In their answer regarding the wait time for Mayo, the HSE say that the issue is lack of funding - 'unfortunately, the demand for full-time residential placements within disability services far exceeds the funding received', he said.
“As part of the HSE National Operational Plan 2021, Community Healthcare West has received funding for four additional planned residential places. We can only assume that not all of these are going to Mayo, but even if they were it is hardly enough,” added Mr. Lawless.
“Residential placement is, for many families, a last resort. Typically, a person with disabilities is kicked out of the special education system when they turn 18. Given the closures of special schools, and the redeployment of specialist therapists, many families have been left completely abandoned by the State and have been facing very challenging circumstances throughout the pandemic.
“Documents secured by Aontú under the Freedom of Information Act show that the group Parentline notified the Minister for Children and Equality last October of a 'large increase in the number of parents calling the helpline and a 300% increase in the number of requests for access to the non-violent resistance programme'.
“No family in such a situation should be left waiting for years on a waiting list for respite or residential placement, and yet we know that there are 37 families in Mayo in that boat. It is a wholly unacceptable situation.”