TD's warned of serious challenges in the health system due to sharp rise in over 75's.

At a presentation in Leinster House organised by Fianna Fail TD John Lahart, and attended by TD's from Dublin South West and South Central, Doctor Ronan Collins of Tallaght Hospital gave a stark warning to those present as to the challenges the country, and in particular the Dublin-Mid Leinster catchment area faces due to people living a lot older than before. In 1950, the percentage of the population over 75 in Ireland was 1.2% This is expected to increase to 11.8% by 2050. In 2011, 8,525 people in Tallaght were aged over 75, and this will rise substantially to 30,600 by 2031, just 15 years away. Dr Collins remarked "All our policies, be they in health or public transport should take particular notice of the needs of our aging population."

While he welcomed the opening of extra nursing home beds in the area, he was concerned that these facilities were under no stipulation as to the patient mix they take in. Therefore such facilities can admit persons from outside their area who are of a low dependency, and don't require major care, while elderly patients who are of high dependency are often left in limbo, often stuck in a hospital ward.

Ireland is 6th in the OECD, per head of population for fractures, and many of these people spend weeks if not months lying in beds in hospital wards because there is nowhere else for them to go during the recuperation process. Many of these are not elderly patients, but young people who've suffered a fracture playing sport etc, but you rarely hear that mentioned in the media.
He then spoke about St Brigids Nursing home in Crooksling, describing the vital services the facility provides, and at 23 acres, a good area of it, could and should be extended with more bed capacity added. Councillor Deirdre o' Donovan praised the staff at Crooksling for the care they gave her late grandmother which she said was "second to none", but opined that "the reality is we don't cherish our elderly".

Presentation organiser, John Lahart TD said "new nursing home construction being added into the county development plan, is always warmly received by councillors". He also remarked how "people do not see Nursing homes as places were elderly people are nursed, but rather as a place where they are being minded."

Joan Collins TD spoke of the work the future health committee she in on was undertaking, and how it related to what Doctor Collins had spoke about in his presentation, and Paul Murphy TD got agreement from the other TD's present that they would seek to have the issue debated in The Dail next week. Seán Crowe TD spoke of his concerns at the amount of paperwork nurses and doctors have to fill out, and nursing homes sending patients to A+E for very minor illnesses such as colds, and clogging up the system even further.