Ageing parents of adults with disabilities at crisis point says Tipperary TD

A Tipperary TD has called on the Government to take urgent action to address what has been described as a growing crisis in respite and residential services for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Speaking during a Dáil debate on the motion "A place called home for adults with an intellectual disability", Independent TD Seamus Healy welcomed the opportunity to support the proposal, saying that too many families are being left without the support they desperately need.

"I welcomed the opportunity to support this important motion yesterday, as respite and residential services for adults with intellectual disabilities are in crisis," said Deputy Healy.

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He argued that Ireland is failing to uphold the rights guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which recognises the right of people with disabilities to live independently in the community with choices equal to everyone else.

The convention also provides for access to a range of community-based supports, including personal assistance, respite and residential services.

However, the TD said these rights are "honoured more in the breach than in the observance", with no clear picture of the true demand for services and no long-term strategy to meet growing needs.

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As a result, the HSE is often forced to respond only when families reach crisis point.

Highlighting the human impact of the situation, the TD spoke of the fears facing ageing parents who continue to care for adult sons and daughters with intellectual disabilities.

"I highlighted the heartbreaking reality facing ageing parents who fear what will happen to their sons and daughters when they can no longer provide care," he said.

Referring to a recent submission by the advocacy group Before We Die to the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, the TD outlined the scale of the challenge.

The organisation estimates that more than 2,000 adults with intellectual disabilities are living with parents aged over 70, including around 500 whose parents are over 80, with some carers now in their 90s.

The submission describes the distress experienced by many families, with some parents expressing the heartbreaking hope that their child might die before they do because they fear there will be nobody left to care for them.

Deputy Healy called on the Government to respond immediately by providing an emergency funded package in Budget 2027 to support families in the most urgent situations.

"I called on the Government to provide an emergency funded response in Budget 2027 for families in urgent need and to develop a fully funded five-year plan for community-based housing and care," he said.

The proposed plan would involve collaboration between the relevant Government departments, the HSE, local authorities and approved housing bodies to ensure adults with intellectual disabilities have access to appropriate housing and community supports.

” The Government in the medium term needs to publish a fully funded and resourced five-year plan for community living for people with intellectual disability. It should be prepared jointly by the Departments of disability and housing, the HSE, local authorities and the approved housing bodies. I support this important motion and thank the Social Democrats for bringing it forward at this time,” he concluded.