Work of Inclusion Louth highlighted by Ó Murchú
Ruairí Ó Murchú highlights work of recently stood-down Inclusion Louth in the Dáil during a motion on the need to provide care for adults with intellectual disabilities who are currently living with aging parents
Parents whose adult children have an intellectual disability need to know there is a proper residential care plan for them before they die, Louth Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.
The Dundalk based deputy was speaking during a Social Democrat-tabled motion on the need to provide care and residential plans for adults with intellectual disabilities who are currently living with aging parents.
The motion was inspired by the Before We Die campaign and Deputy Ó Murchú said that “many parents feel frustrated and are incredibly worried about what will happen to their adult children with an intellectual disability”.
Speaking on the motion, Deputy Ó Murchú said: “They are not sure what the future holds and some even say they feel incredibly guilty because they think that maybe their children will die before them, which would deal with that issue.
“Imagine having to feel like that. It is obviously utterly scandalous”.
The Louth TD commended the work done by the recently stood-down Inclusion Louth, which was previously Dundalk Parents and Friends of the Intellectually Disabled, including Eoghan Bailey, Mary Darcy, Mary Connolly and many others.
Deputy Ó Murchú said: “They are a group of parents who came together because they needed to make sure there was a future for their children who had disabilities.
"It is hard to believe that I can talk about the work they were doing 30 years ago, or further back, and consider that we are still no further on.”
He said there is too much reliance on for-profit residential placements which happen when emergency situations arise due to a lack of planning by health and local authorities.
Deputy Ó Murchú said: “The perfect situation is one where there is a proper conversation between the local authority, the HSE and all the disability services.
“If done in a completely planned and organised way, with the correct planning and funding, it is cheaper and better.
"An awful lot of parents are quite happy to look after their children. They just want to know there is a proper plan in place for the future.”
The Sinn Féin TD added, “I find it hard to believe that we are still talking about this issue at this stage. The number of people who do not have a plan is through the roof”.