Over 6,000 people are on a waiting list for home support.
The Government is being accused of eroding the country's care system.
The Labour Party is calling for an end to the recruitment ban of home help, and an increase in funding for care.
Over 400 people in the midlands are on a waiting list for home support - more than 300 of those are in Laois Offaly, while just under 100 are in Longford Westmeath.
Nationally, that figure is over 6,000.
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik says home care workers are the unsung heroes of the health system:
The Junior Health Minister admits there are challenges in the home care sector, particularly when it comes to the work force.
Minister of State with Responsibility for Older People, Mary Butler, says rural areas are having difficulties:
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