Carer’s despair at ‘uncaring Government’

ANNE HUGHES has been providing loving care for her daughter Debbie for almost 28 years and it is beginning to take its toll on her.

Debbie is autistic and has an intellectual disability.

Her mother, who is 58-years-old, has to do everything for her daughter.

The only thing that keeps Anne going is the love she feels for her daughter, the second youngest of a family of four.

“Debbie did not choose to be this way. She doesn’t have the ability to care for herself. I am simply doing my best to care for her as best I can, in spite of the fact that we have an uncaring Government,” she said.

Debbie goes to a day care centre from 10am to 4pm weekdays and Anne gets a relief carer for seven hours a week from the Carers Association.

A big worry for Anne from Tullamore, Co Offaly, is what will happen to Debbie when she can no longer care for her. Debbie was given priority status for a place in part-time residential care four years ago and since then Anne has been asking to meet Finance Minister Brian Cowen to discuss her concerns.

Anne welcomed the €300 increase in the annual respite grant that will increase the payment to €1,500 in June 2007 but while it would pay a few bills, it would not go very far in making her life easier.

Another carer, Catherine, from Sligo, called Today With Pat Kenny yesterday to tell Mr Cowen, who was a guest on the radio show, that she was expecting her fifth child in five weeks time and needed to get respite care for their eldest son who is 19 years old and has an intellectual disability.

She claimed that the Health Service Executive (HSE) had informed her that, while she was entitled to day care for her son for four hours, two days a week for three months from December to March, they would not be held responsible for the person she employed to take care of her son.

“I had to refuse admission to hospital two weeks ago because there is no service in place for my son,” the tearful woman told the minister. Mr Cowen promised to raise the issue with the HSE.

The HSE said they had offered the woman’s family a comprehensive range of services including day services, home-based services, home-help services, respite services, multi-disciplinary support, assistive technology and other activities.

Carers Association chief executive Enda Egan said that while they welcomed the increase in the respite grant they had wanted it to be increased to €2,800 so that a carer could take 20 days off and pay around €18 an hour for their loved one to be minded.