Equal Dementia Supports 2025 - Building on Momentum in 2025

Budget 2025 - Our Reaction

Please see below our Reaction to Budget 2025:

Dementia Supports and Services

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland welcomes the €2.3 million funding for dementia in Budget 2025 with more funding for day care at home and in the community, ringfencing of 20% of new home support hours for dementia, additional dementia advisers, and expanded diagnostic services.

€400,000 to increase the provision of Day Care at Home and Day Care in the Community. This funding means more people will receive block hours of dementia-specific care, ensuring social stimulation for people living with dementia and respite for family carers.
€400,000 for five additional ASI Dementia Advisers, which will mean enhanced access to the service and enhanced service management as the number of roles increases.
€300,000 allocated for Weekend Activity Clubs for People with Young Onset Dementia to continue providing this invaluable social activity.
€120 million funding to provide 24 million Home Support hours to 60,000 people with the ringfencing of 20% of new home support hours for people living with dementia – from 18%, this is very welcome.
Improving access to dementia diagnosis and post-diagnosis support is a key priority. €1 million in new development funding is being provided to recruit six Consultants to Memory Assessment and Support Services in Donegal, Kerry, Mullingar, Waterford, Wexford and Galway.
€200,000 will be allocated to implement a National Dementia Registry, which will improve data collection on dementia.

The ASI is very grateful to Minister of State Mary Butler TD for securing this funding for dementia-specific support in Budget 2025.

This funding will make a huge impact on the lives of people with dementia and family carers across Ireland and we really appreciate the Minister’s ongoing support and understanding.

This Government, now in its fifth Budget, has significantly increased funding for dementia supports and services and has invested €17 million in new dementia services since 2021.

To read the Department of Health press release with the details, please click here

Other highlights from Budget 2025 which will impact on people affected by dementia are:

Social Protection

The Social Protection package for 2025 will also help to address many people’s needs.
Increase of €12 per week for an individual in receipt of a weekly Social Protection payment
Increasing the Carer’s Allowance Means Test disregard to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple.
increasing the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance by €20
increasing the Carer’s Support Grant by €150 to €2,000
Enabling Carer’s Allowance to be made a qualifying payment for the Fuel Allowance

Cost of Living

In addition to this, there were a number of Cost of Living measures announced in Budget 2025.

Two energy credits of €125, worth a total of €250, between end of the year and start of next year, for every household.
€300 cost of living lump sum payment to all households getting Fuel Allowance
€200 cost of living lump sum payment for pensioners and people with a disability getting the Living Alone Increase
€400 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting Carer’s Support Grant*
€400 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension*
October cost of living bonus will be paid on the same basis as the Christmas bonus to groups including pensioners, carers, lone parents, people on disability payment, long-term jobseeker recipients
Christmas bonus will be paid to 1.3 million social welfare recipients

Sustainable Workforce – Section 39

The ASI is disappointed not to see specific resource allocation for creating a sustainable workforce in the dementia sector in Budget 2025. As a Section 39 organisation, there is an inequality in terms and conditions for all ASI employees as the team receives less favourable terms and conditions when compared to public sector workers who are engaged in comparable work. The ASI will maintain its advocacy and lobbying in relation to a satisfactory outcome on this issue.

The ASI is committed to working with Minister Butler, the Government, the HSE, the All-Party Oireachtas Group on Dementia, which is chaired by Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, and people affected by dementia to meet the challenges that dementia presents in Irish society and Budget 2025 marks another step in this journey.

Given the rising need for dementia supports and services, this extra funding in Budget 2025 will build on the investment in recent years and will help address the challenges faced by people impacted by dementia across the country.

Regards,

CEO Andy Heffernan

About our Campaign

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (The ASI) Pre-Budget Submission ‘Equal Supports: Building on Momentum in 2025’

The ASI is calling on Government to improve equity of access to dementia supports and services across Ireland. Increased investment is needed in community services, acute services, mental health supports, social protection, dementia research and the dementia workforce.

The ASI is urging the Government to continue moving the Model of Care for Dementia in Ireland from paper to practice and to honour the Programme for Government and the National Dementia Strategy by investing €5.5 million in dementia in Budget 2025 alongside critical social protection, policy and workforce planning.

Equal Dementia Supports - PBS 2025 Summary of Asks

Pre-Budget Submission 2025 Summary – Download PDF

Read: Pre-Budget Submission in full here

We are ambitious for the lives of people with dementia, and those who care for, and support them. The actions in this submission have the power to be life-enhancing and life-changing.

Cormac Cahill, Head of Advocacy, Research and Public Affairs at The Alzheimer Society of Ireland

Launch 27th June, Buswell's Hotel, Dublin

On 27th June, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland launched its Pre-Budget Submission ‘Equal Dementia Supports – Building on Momentum in 2025’ calling on the Government to invest in equitable access to dementia supports and services nationwide.

Staff, Advocates, Board Members and Branch representatives attended the event at Buswell’s Hotel, Dublin. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland appreciate the engagement of the Senators, TDs, and political staff who joined in discussing the urgent need for investment in dementia supports, dementia research and social protection for people impacted by dementia.

Read our Pre-Budget Submission 2025