The Department of Housing is hoping a method to fund the installation of hoists in Kerry homes will be found in the coming months.
The department was responding to a query from Radio Kerry, after Fianna Fáil councillor John Francis Flynn called for the grant for hoists to be reinstated for elderly people and people with disabilities living at home.
Councillor John Francis Flynn says 10 months ago hoists were removed from a grants scheme, which brought hardship to many families.
The Department of Housing now says it provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability to assist people in private houses make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People, which are 80% funded by the department, with a 20% contribution from the local authority.
Funding is not available under the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability scheme for the provision of a hoist. However, funding can be provided for the infrastructure to support a hoist: for example, reinforcing a ceiling.
Department officials are currently engaging with the HSE and the Department of Health on this issue, and it is hoped that an agreement on the funding of hoists will be reached over the coming months.
