The continued closure of day centres for people suffering from Alzheimer’s, and for people with disabilities, is a cause of “great upset” both to the users and their families.
This is the view of Independent Galway West TD, Catherine Connolly, who is calling for “urgent clarification” from the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, as to when such centres can re-open.
She said the decision to close the centres in mid-March because of the Covid-19 pandemic was understandable, their “continued closure at this point requires immediate examination”.
According to Dep Connolly, HSE Community Healthcare West confirmed that the HSE is awaiting Covid-19 national guidelines prior to reopening the services. As a result, Dep Connolly has tabled a number of further questions to Minister Donnelly, specifically when the national guidelines will be published.
She has also asked for a breakdown of the number of centres affected throughout Galway city and the county, and what analysis has been undertaken by HSE Community Healthcare West on the impact of these closures on service users and their families.
