Home Help/ Home Care Action Group held a Press Conference today, 15th October in Buswells Hotel Dublin to outline the details of the campaign’s major protest march to Dail Eireann taking place on Wednesday next, 17 October, at 3pm from the GPO on O’ Connell Street.
Speakers at the Press Conference included Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Elaine O’Grady (Home Care worker and campaigner) and Samantha Byrne (Home Care worker and campaigner).
Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Boyd Barrett described the latest round of cuts to the home help service as “absolutely barbaric” and stated that the HSE proposed further reduction of 450,000 hours of home help “will substantially degrade the quality of life of our elderly and disabled citizens”.
Elaine O’Grady, a home care worker in Dublin and member of the campaign, fears that any further cuts to the hours of home help currently being offered will have a devastating impact on her clients.
“I’ve already seen reductions like an hour’s vital care being reduced by a half. These cost-cutting measures are affecting the quality of life of patients. Any further cuts to the hours on offer will have a devastating impact on the home help service”.
