‘My two wishes are to outlive Sinead, and find someone who’ll care for her and be her voice'

Sinead has cerebral palsy and Mary provides 24/7 care. Mary gets a half carer’s allowance of €122 per week. She says respite care lost in 2015 has not been adequately replaced.

The main support group for family carers has warned that the country’s ageing profile will result in a dearth of carers in the future, even as current carers are struggling with a lack of services and resources.

Family Carers Ireland said the Irish Health Survey found significant under- reporting of carers in the census. It said 10% of the population are providing care to someone with a chronic condition or an age-related infirmity. That would mean Ireland has 350,000 carers. In 86% of these cases, the person being cared for is a family member and the average number of hours spent providing care is 45 per week.