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Independent TD for Offaly, Carol Nolan, has made a call for urgent ministerial intervention after raising the case of a 90‑year‑old Offaly man who has been referred for occupational therapy eight separate times since February 2025 without receiving a single appointment.
Deputy Nolan says the man’s experience is “one of the worst I have ever dealt with in terms of a lack of engagement.”
The Offaly TD raised the matter with Tánaiste Simon Harris in the Dáil on Thursday.
Deputy Nolan explained that the elderly man’s GP and other medical professionals have repeatedly submitted referrals, yet no assessment has ever been scheduled. She said this case is not an isolated incident but part of a wider failure within community care services:
“We know that there are well over a quarter of a million people were waiting for community therapy treatment or assessment, which is dramatic rise compared to five years ago. Within that cohort, Occupational Therapy is one of the most severely affected areas, with older people facing the longest delays,” she said.
“Therapists have warned us that these delays are preventing older people from accessing essential mobility supports, home adaptation assessments, and rehabilitation after illness or injury, and yet they continue to wait as this shocking case illustrates.”
“This confirms to me that the system is failing older people at the most vulnerable point in their lives. Indeed, when a 90‑year‑old man can be referred eight times for an occupational therapy assessment and still receive nothing, it is impossible to argue that the system is functioning,” she told the Dáil.
Deputy Nolan is also urging the Minister for Health to take decisive steps to address the crisis. She also believes emergency staffing measures must be deployed in regions with the longest delays, including within the CHO area covering Offaly and the midlands.
“When someone has been referred eight times and still cannot access an OT assessment, the system becomes actively abusive. The Government must act now to restore trust and ensure older people receive the essential supports they need,” Deputy Nolan concluded.
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