Residential accommodation provision for adults with intellectual disabilities raised

The plight of elderly parents worried about who will look after their children with disabilities when they die, has been highlighted by Cllr Noel French.

Cllr French raised the issue with a question to Meath County Council asking what steps were being taken to ensure the provision of adequate residential accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Meath County Council said it was committed to ensuring the provision of appropriate and sustainable residential accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Following the meeting, Cllr French said he raised the issue because of difficulties being faced with regard to people with an intellectual disability who have aging carers.

"Very often decisions with regard to housing adults with an intellectual disability are forced decision taken after the death of the remaining parents leaving the individual coping with two crises, losing a parent and coping with a new and strange living environment."

He said families are left carrying the responsibility, even as parents themselves age into their seventies, eighties, and beyond. "Over 1500 adults with intellectual disability in Ireland live with family carers over the age of 70. Of these, 450 adults are cared for by parents aged over 80. There is one 97-year-old mother who is still caring for her son who has Down’s Syndrome.

“This situation is frightening, with elderly men and women struggling with the intense task of caring for someone until death, and intellectually disabled men and women in late middle age devastated by the twin catastrophes of losing their emotional mainstay and their home at the same time.”

Meath County Council said its Disability Action Strategy prioritises the housing needs of people with disabilities and has resulted in allocation outcomes that exceed the national target, with more than 15 per cent of social housing allocations made to households with a disability. A structured inter-agency approach is central to delivery. The Council’s Disability Housing Action Team plays a key role in coordinating housing responses for individuals with complex needs. This team works closely with the HSE and other service providers to ensure that housing solutions are aligned with the necessary care and support packages.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is also progressing an increased provision of community-based housing models, including small-scale community houses where three to four individuals with disabilities can live independently within the community, supported by services provided by the HSE. The council said it was actively contributing to the achievement of national targets and ensuring that adults with intellectual disabilities can access appropriate housing within their communities, with the necessary supports in place to enable independent and dignified living.