Carers urged to declare hours

CARERS have been urged to declare the full number of hours they spend looking after loved ones in the upcoming census.

As part of the Question 22 Carers Count Campaign launched yesterday, carers have been asked to ensure they include the full total of hours they spend caring for family members, with the aim of providing accurate data which could affect future policy in the area.

According to the last Census in 2006 there were 160,917 carers around the country, contributing three million hours of caring each week and saving €2.5 billion annually for the Irish economy.

However, subsequent data from the Central Statistics Office indicates that the 2006 figure was underestimated, with groups such as the Carers Association suggesting that the actual number of carers could be closer to 274,000.

That would mean some five million caring hours per week and state savings of closer to €4bn a year.

For the first time, the census allows those filling in Question 22 to indicate the number of hours they spend caring, and also allows data to be entered for carers aged under 15 years.

At yesterday’s launch of the campaign in Dublin, attended by patrons Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy, the chairman of the Carers Association, Frank Goodwin, said: “If people are in doubt they should give themselves the benefit of the doubt because we tend to find that carers tend to underestimate their work rather than overestimate it.”

He stressed that the Census is fully confidential.

Question 22 asks: “Do you provide regular unpaid personal help for a friend or family member, with a long-term illness, health problem or disability?”

Mr Goodwin said those who should answer the question include full and part-time carers, carers under 15, people receiving the Carers Allowance or other state payments, relief carers, and those in full employment who still care for others in the evenings or at weekends.

The campaign is backed by a number of organisations, including Inclusion Ireland, Age Action and Crosscare, with organisers hoping that more accurate data can help with lobbying for greater support services, including respite, for those who provide care for loved ones.

The Carers Association estimates that many carers provide the maximum 168 hours of care per week.

Anyone seeking to quantify their hours can use the websites www.census.ie/ carerscount or www.q22.ie, while an application is available for download from itunes.