No Happy Christmas for family carers

Since the recession began family carers have feared what they would face in every budget. What was austerity for the community at large hit the carers harder.

In 2012 we could not believe our ears when they cut the annual Respite Care Grant by almost 20% – from €1,700 to €1,350. The Fuel Allowance Scheme was also cut by six weeks and home help hours were cut by €8 million from September to December 2012. An additional 500,000 hour cut was imposed earlier this year.

And so we came to 2014. The big one was ministers talking about Budget 2015 offering social recovery for families. What we discovered was that family carers just do not matter. There was no social recovery for carers. And that hurt a lot.

The big aim was to take people off social welfare and get them back into the workforce. But that is not an option for family carers. Many carers are working 24/7. But they are seen as social welfare recipients. They are the only group who have to work full time for their money. And they cannot go out to work and neglect the person or people they are caring for in their homes.

We were also bitterly disappointed that the Respite Care Grant cut was not reversed or at a very minimum partly restored.

Christmas isn’t an easy time for carers as there is no time off from caring. Maybe the Government will give them a break in the New Year?

Catherine Cox

Head of Communications

The Carers Association

Market Square

Tullamore

Co Offaly