SIPTU Home Helps and their supporters from Donegal and across the west of Ireland will march on Sunday, 25th November, in Castlebar to protest against cuts to Home Help services. The workers will assemble in the Chapel car park, Chapel Street, at 1.30 p.m. and march to the market square.

SIPTU Organiser, Martin O’Rourke said: “We are calling on Home Help workers, their families and supporters throughout Donegal to join the march and send a clear message to the HSE that these cuts must be reversed. Already this year 500,000 hours have been taken out of the home help service and care workers and their clients are suffering. The plan to implement a further cut of 600,000 hours is bad for workers and bad for clients.
 
“Home Help workers enable people to live at home with dignity, respect and compassion. Cuts to this service will not save money but will instead have an expensive knock on effect on the HSE as many elderly clients will instead need to be cared for in nursing homes or hospitals instead of in the safety and comfort of their own homes.”

The campaign has already received the backing of Donegal County Council which has unanimously passed a motion calling on the “HSE to reverse its decision to reduce the allocation of Home-Help hours.”

Donegal Home Help Kathleen McGlynn from the Finn Valley, said: “My life’s work has been giving older people the dignity we would all like to receive.  As a result of the cuts it is becoming ever more difficult to provide necessary care to them. It’s very important to receive the support of our local communities for this march. We need to send a very clear message that these cuts are hurting the most vulnerable people in our society and must be reversed so that people like me are able to help our older people remain in their own homes.”