A total of 137 people in County Roscommon are waiting for home-care support, according to figures supplied by the HSE and highlighted by Roscommon-Galway TD Claire Kerrane.
The figures show that 27 people in Roscommon are waiting for a new home-care package, while a further 110 people have been approved for additional home-support hours but are waiting for those hours to be provided.
Of those waiting for additional hours, 16 have been waiting for more than a year.
Across Galway and Roscommon combined, 477 people are on waiting lists. Galway accounts for 340 of those, including 49 people awaiting a new home-care package and 291 who have been approved additional hours but have yet to receive them. Fifty-six of the Galway cases have been waiting for additional hours for more than a year.
Deputy Kerrane said the figures pointed to continuing difficulties in the provision of home care and called for action on recruitment and retention within the sector.
The Roscommon-Galway Sinn Féin TD said many people wanted to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible and argued that adequate home support could help prevent unnecessary admission to long-term residential care.
