A CALL FOR a “National Carers’ Day” in recognition of the country’s 161,000 carers is being sent out to town councils as part of a nationwide campaign.
A motion by Fine Gael councillor Sheila Casey calling on the Government to have a carers’ day has been passed at the April meeting of Killarney Town Council. It follows a similar move by the national organisation Caring for Carers Ireland at its annual delegate and respite conference recently.
Ms Casey said carers were ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances because of the onset of illness, age and disability among family members. A carers’ day would be a day for all to think about the contribution of carers and to consider doing something in return for a carer they know.
“Ireland’s health service would collapse without the 160,000 carers; their work is a hidden and silent subsidy to the health service. It is in all our interests to ensure carers receive the support they need and deserve. This is not going to change their life but it might make their day.”
Just 45,000 of the country’s family carers receive a full or part-time carer’s allowance and family carers have no pension entitlements arising out of their work.
There has been disappointment among carers’ organisations at the decision by the Government last month not to publish a national carers’ strategy, promised as part of the partnership agreement, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and worked on over 2008.
The strategy group had looked at housing, income support, healthcare, transport, information, training and research and technology for home care.
However, Mary Hanafin, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, said last month the report was not published because much of what was in it could not be implemented in the economic climate.