Letters to the Editor: Carers are forgotten victims of lockdown

In this pandemic there are a forgotten group of people; they are the people who have to cocoon because of underlying health conditions and families of vulnerable children with complex medical needs, many of whom have a physical and/or intellectual disability/autism.

Almost all families like ours are no longer getting respite or home care/nursing because it’s too risky. We have been forgotten. We are usually isolated much of the year because of the nature of our lives... and our children’s illnesses.

Hospital appointments & all therapies have been cancelled therefore treatments/ surgery have been delayed. The knock on effect on the entire family is immense. Our families are never mentioned. The mental health of carers is vitally important for us to continue to be able to care for our children/ people we care for to the best of our ability. Lack of sleep, lack of contact with other people and lack of support are huge issues.

We understand why we have to cocoon and we all want to protect the most vulnerable. We respect and care about our healthcare professionals probably a lot more than most. They are our lifeline.

But it would nice if just once an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar T.D. would acknowledge us. We care but who cares for us?

Aisling McNiffe, Straffan, Co. Kildare