Fine Gael Deputy Joe Cooney has told the Dáil that Clare is now facing the most serious home‑care delays in the State, with the longest home‑support waiting list per person in the country and a growing shortage of nursing home beds.
Deputy Cooney raised the matter with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Dáil this week, saying that older people in Clare are being left without the supports they need to remain at home and without access to nearby nursing home beds when residential care becomes necessary.
The Fine Gael TD for Clare said he is hearing daily from older people and their families who cannot secure home help hours, despite national spending on home support increasing.
“Clare has the longest home‑support waiting list per person in the country. Even though the Government is spending more on home support nationally, Clare is not getting its fair share. This needs to be fixed so waiting times can be brought down quickly,” he told the Taoiseach.
He said the lack of home‑care hours is forcing more older people into nursing homes, but nursing homes in Clare are already under severe pressure. Smaller rural homes are struggling with rising costs, and families are being told that beds may only be available many miles from home.
“I am aware of families who have been told patients in the hospital could have to travel 30, 40 or 50 miles to get a nursing home bed, which is not good enough for those families and those people,” Deputy Cooney said. “We have a rural county, and we have serious problems as regards the elderly, nursing homes and home help.”
Responding in the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged the scale of the challenge and confirmed that additional resources are needed in Clare.
“It is fair to say that we are ageing as a society,” added the Taoiseach. “Every year, there are substantial increases in the budget as we try to provide for an ageing population. The budget for home support in 2026 is the largest ever at €914 million.”
He noted that home‑support hours in the Clare and Limerick integrated area had increased significantly but accepted that waiting lists remain a problem. “There are about 694 people on the waiting list for home support services in the Clare and Limerick county integrated area,” he said. “The service has expanded so much that there has been a challenge in recruiting home carers.”
On nursing home access, the Taoiseach said, “People generally want to stay at home for as long as they possibly can. There comes a stage, I accept, when a nursing home is required. Obviously, the closer to the family home for the family the better in those situations.”
Deputy Cooney said he will continue to press for a clear plan to reduce Clare’s home‑care waiting list and to ensure that nursing home capacity in the county is protected and expanded.