There is nothing left to give, say embattled carers
The Carers Association led a protest outside the Dáil as about 70,000 full-time carers began receiving this year’s respite allowance minus the €325 slashed from it in last December’s budget.
For Johanne Powell, that 20% reduction is the latest in a string of cuts making the task of caring for her disabled daughter increasingly difficult, to the point where 29-year-old Siobhan will have to go into residential care.
“I don’t want to put her into care but we can not cope any more,” said Ms Powell. “The mobility grant is gone, the respite grant is cut, and her transport is cut. They keep taking a bit more and a bit more and there is nothing left to give.”
Siobhan, from Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford, has a place in a day centre 40km away in Wexford town, but in March, her transport was cut from five days to three, leaving Ms Powell to drive the 160km a day in drop-off and collection trips on the other days.
Her mother says the cut saves the HSE €16,000 annually — or just €5,300 for Siobhan as two other people use the same bus — but if it forces Siobhan into full-time residential care, that will cost the HSE at least €52,000 annually for a basic nursing home and more than €200,000 if a place in a specialist unit could be found.
“It is so petty what the Government is doing and it doesn’t make financial sense. I will be 60 this year and her father will be 63. What are we going to do in 10 years’ time? She sits at home with us looking at the wall if we don’t bring her out. What 29-year-old wants to sit at home with her parents?”
Antoinette Norris, from Limerick but living in Finglas, Dublin, is not just concerned about the effect of the cuts on her 16-year-old daughter Demi, who has the developmental disorder Cohen syndrome, and 7-year-old Adam, who has autism, but also on her other three children.
“I didn’t use the respite grant for respite — it was used to fix things that broke during the year. The shower broke a few weeks ago so that was €250 gone and I have to get some rails put up to help Demi get around so it goes very quickly.
“I always kept an emergency fund of €70 set aside but Demi had surgery last year and between taxis to the hospital and other expenses, that was gone and I ended up with €60 that week to do shopping for six people.
“It’s sad that we have to put our personal life and financial situation out in public but I put all this in emails to every TD and MEP and heard nothing back. We’re not even worth replying to.”
Fianna Fáil senator Mary White met the protesters and said carers were already in fear about what Budget 2014 might inflict on them.
