Tipperary TD calls for a specialised dedicated dementia centre in Premier County

Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill has called for a specialised, long-term dementia care centre for Tipperary.

The FIanna Fáil TD raised this issue with Government Ministers in the Dáil and put forward the case for such a centre for the Premier County, highlighting Minister for Older People Mary Butler’s long-standing commitment to dementia care in Ireland.

“I appreciate and fully support the fact that we should care for our older people in their homes as much as possible, but there are times when that simply isn’t an option for a family," he told the Dáil.

Deputy Cahill said that he and Minister Butler had previously visited a dementia-specific nursing home in Bruff, county Limerick, which wasleading the way in dementia-specific care in the area.

"I was very impressed by the standard of care in this facility, the resources available, and the specialised approach being taken to the residents there. It really is top-class," he said.

Deputy Cahill made the point that Tipperary was a prime location for such a centre and argued that the Premier County should be considered for this development when the National Dementia Office publishes its new Model of Care for Dementia in the coming months.

“The Minister previously stated that she wishes to examine a range of long-term residential care models for people with dementia. I would propose that Minister Butler strongly considers Tipperary for such a facility. As the largest inland county in Ireland, we are centrally located, and easily accessible," he said.

With the closure of the Waterman’s Lodge in Ballina, which provided day-care and respite for people living with dementia, and with the pressing and glaring need to decentralise essential healthcare services out of Limerick in this region, Deputy Cahill said that he believed that Tipperary is the ideal location for such a specialised centre.