Ireland’s largest private provider of home care services has announced an increase in their Irish workforce by 25 percent. Home Instead currently employs four thousand caregivers across the country and cares for an estimated seven thousand clients.
This increase in staff will allow Home Instead to increase its capacity to care for an additional 2,000 ageing clients. Home Instead caregivers deliver a range of non-medical care services to older people within their homes.
Such in-home services can help facilitate early hospital discharge and provide meal preparation, light housework, personal care, dementia care, and companionship.
The 1,000 new positions come at a time when caregivers are facing challenges never before experienced, with the global population aged 65 and over set to more than double by 2050.
The Global Workforce Report, commissioned in 2021, has estimated that the number of elderly care workers will need to increase by 60 percent by 2040. It is also expected that the number of people aged over 65 in Ireland will reach 1.4m by 2040, with even more significant growth in the population aged over 80.
Taoiseach Michael Martin has welcomed the jobs announcement and highlighted the vital role caregivers play within the community.
“We know that in the years ahead, Ireland, like so many countries, will face the challenge of an ageing population. Home care can play an increasingly important role in providing care to our oldest and most vulnerable citizens, many of whom would like to continue living in their homes and communities.â€
Shane Jennings, COO of Home Instead, said, “ As life expectancy increases in Ireland, so too does the need for quality home care and quality home carers. For the vast majority of older people, ageing at home has better health outcomes, is less expensive than institutional care, and can help prevent unnecessary or premature admission to long-term residential care.â€
