Views sought on nursing home deal

Dear sir - Age Action, the older people's charity, is seeking the public's assistance to gauge the impact of the Fair Deal nursing home payment scheme since its introduction. We are gathering people's experience of the new scheme, whether they are older people, are relatives of older people, run or work in nursing homes, or are healthcare workers. We would like people to share their experiences of the scheme (good and bad, seen and unforeseen), since it was introduced last October. Under the scheme, those who are medically assessed as being in need of a nursing home bed, pay 80 per cent of their disposable income, five per cent of their other assets, and up to 15 per cent of the value of their home, towards the cost of their nursing home bed. You can email your experience of the scheme to fairdeal@ageaction.ie or call Age Action's social policy officer, Lorna Roe, at (01) 475 6989. Yours, Eamon Timmins, Age Action Ireland Ltd, 30/31 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2.