Funding care for people with dementia and their families continues to be a challenge with a shared emphasis across the EU on enabling individuals to live well and safely at home and within their communities as long as possible. There is a reliance on non-profits to supplement care provision in many countries. For example, in Ireland, the Department of Health has worked with The Atlantic Philanthropies to offer 50 Intensive Home Care Packages (IHCP) for people with dementia over 3 years (2015 – 2018). Additionally, the HSE and Genio supported 9 community-based projects in the period 2012 – 2017 including access to assistive technologies. Alzheimer’s Ireland has recently made a pre-budget submission of €11million for community supports for people with dementia. The National Dementia Office published the Dementia Needs Analysis framework to support Local Services Development. Home and community based care has many benefits both in terms of individual preferences and well-being and cost of provision. However, over reliance on informal carers can cause significant financial and personal hardship on those individuals. The extension of community service based initiatives and the availability of low cost solutions to help improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers are both welcomed and necessary.
