Over 100 people are currently on a waiting list for home care in Kerry.
HSE figures provided to Radio Kerry show that at the end of August, there were 107 people in Kerry awaiting home support.
It shows a continued decrease over the last two years for home care waiting lists in Kerry.
In November 2023, there were 160 people in Kerry awaiting home care support.
By November 2024, this had fallen to 125 people, and by the end of August, there had been a further drop.
107 people in the county are now on a waiting list for home care; 76 are people already receiving home support who are waiting on additional hours, and 31 are awaiting new home care.
The HSE says the majority of clients who are prescribed a home support have a service start almost immediately, but access depends on assessed needs and available resources.
It says part of the prescribed service may not be put in place immediately, and if this happens it would predominantly down to a lack of carer availability in the area.
The HSE added demand is rising due to population growth and increased dependency among those aged 80 and over.
Priority for home care is given to individuals being discharged from acute hospitals who can return home safely, and to community-based people with urgent or complex needs.
The HSE says significant work has been undertaken to address the home support waiting list in Kerry, and all its offices are delivering as much support as they can in the face of staff shortages and increased demand.
The HSE sincerely apologised for any distress or inconvenience that the current waiting times may have caused to its service users and their families.
It says it remains committed to ensuring timely, person-centred home support, in the face of a challenging employment environment, with two recruitment coordinators and campaigns running throughout the year.
