‘Practically blind’ Wexford man waiting six weeks for occupational therapist appointment amid ‘appalling delays’ for services

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

A man who has been described as “practically blind” has been waiting six weeks for an appointment with an occupational therapist (OT) so that his home can be repurposed for his needs. The “appalling delays” for OTs are impacting social housing tenants across Co Wexford according to Councillor John Dwyer who raised the issue at the July meeting of the county council.

“There is one lady, who is currently living in a private homecare setting, who has been waiting two months for an OT to assess her council house for suitability for a stairlift,” said the councillor. “And another man with 10 per cent vision, he’s practically blind and he’s living in a standard council property, with a stairs. He’s waiting six weeks for an assessment. Are the council executives aware of the delay?”

Director of housing with Wexford County Council (WCC) Carolyne Godkin accepted there are “significant delays” for OTs at the moment and “it can take several months” to carry out works on some properties.

“We don’t employ OTs ourselves but there is a shortage,” she said. “We will look at those cases and see if there’s a delay at the OTs side.”