A nationwide investigation into the state of aged care has been sparked because of the loss of home-help services for the elderly.

Several public meetings with old people , their families, health officials and non-government organizations on aged care will be held by the Labour, the Green Party and Grey Power.

Green Party aged-care spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said, “Vulnerable elderly people were suffering because of Government funding cuts, which meant district health boards (DHBs) were reducing services such as domestic home help. The trend of cutting people's home help was ridiculous when the Government strategy was to keep older people in their homes and out of residential care for longer.”

More than 1200 Canterbury elders reduced their home help hours between September 2009 and January this year, and about 271 people had their hours increased.

There were no funding cuts according to Health Minister Tony Ryall.