Who Cares?

At the last count Ireland had 161,000 known Carers. The reality of draconian cuts in services to the sick, disabled and elderly means that this figure is rising daily.

Carers find themselves in the caring role for all sorts of reasons. The birth of a disabled child, an ageing family member, a partner suffering illness or accident all need someone who cares. But one thing is certain, it’s not a career choice.

All kinds of people find themselves pitched unexpectedly into caring and they span all ages and backgrounds from the very young, who may be looking after incapacitated parents to the very old, who give devoted care to their lifetime partners. In between are the thousands of others who support some of society’s most vulnerable people, often juggling caring demands with their own employment and family duties and with many losing their own employment and years of their lives to the care that they give.

The total weekly working hours that Carers spend providing this support is now approaching four million and the vital input that they give saves the State nearly three billion euros per year.

I am a full-time Carer myself and know lots of others who are too. We all do what we do gladly and willingly precisely because we care for those we care for.

My own son has very severe autism with severe intellectual disability and an array of health problems. One friend cares for her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease, another copes with two adult disabled children, yet another looks after her stroke-disabled father...the list is endless and yet help and financial support are non-existent for many and minimal for others. Carers constitute a Twilight Army of workers who have no rights, no remunerations and no rest. If Carers were employed the conditions that they work under would be illegal. Many are providing up to 14 hours a day of actual hands-on care with the added necessity of constant supervision making it a 24/7/365 job. But only 27% of them get a State Carer’s Allowance and of those only 64% get the full entitlement. With no meal breaks and no rest times, no holidays and no pay the work that Carers do goes unregarded, a situation which the State is more than happy to allow.

Now we are hearing concerns about ‘Carer burnout’ in the media. But make no mistake about it, government concern will not be for Carers themselves but for the massive cost that would be incurred if they keel over from chronic stress and the State is left to foot the bill for all those workers who would be needed to take their place; workers who would be entitled to proper pay and terms of employment.

Eamon O’Cuiv, Minister for Social Protection, has now added insult to injury for Carers in the form of the comparatively advantageous package that he has introduced for the unemployed, offering them a non-means tested payment equivalent to a Carer’s Allowance for working just 19.5 hours a week in caring facilities such as Day Centres.

In his eyes a Carer looking after someone at home all day every day is neither ‘working’ nor worthy of a wage but if an unemployed person does the self-same thing in a Day Centre for a fraction of the time it becomes ‘waged labour’.

And it gets worse as we look at the comparative benefits received. The Community Employment worker in a part-time ‘caring’ placement will earn nearly €11 per hour. If a Carer is one of the fortunate 27% who get a full rate Carer’s Allowance, and if they are required to give constant assistance, their equivalent remuneration will be just €1.26 per hour. And now further Welfare cuts are on the cards.

So what do Carers themselves think of all this? The truth is that finding Carers who are willing to ‘go public’ with their views is extremely difficult. Why ? Because they are afraid that if they speak up they will lose whatever minimal services and benefits they already have. Whatever does this say about modern-day Ireland when Carers are only willing to speak anonymously ?

‘ Modern-day Ireland has lost the plot when it comes to services for the disabled. We give constant care to our daughter. We can’t be away from home because we don’t get any respite for her anymore. My wife and I worry all the time about what will happen to her if we can’t look after her anymore.’

‘My wife has Alzheimer’s Disease. I look after her because I can’t bear the thought of her going into a home but I’m 83 and I get exhausted. Money is a terrible worry.’

‘Caring for my step-mum has crippled us financially  as a family because I can’t work . I find the social isolation very difficult. I rang a Carers Support group but they didn’t even ring me back. I emailed them to say I just was not coping but still we got no help. We had to battle to get some home-help because I can’t be with her all the time but then I feel guilty. How can they see an old lady left on her own and not help ?’

‘ I help as much as I can with my brother to help my Mum out. It makes me sick to see politicians  earning a fortune while vulnerable people are struggling to survive.’

‘ I have no life of my own, it’s impossible, he needs so much care.’

In 2004, the European Year of Disabled Persons, the late Pope John Paul gave a speech in which he stated his belief that the quality of a society may be measured by its commitment to the care of its weakest and neediest who, he said.......

‘Cannot be left alone, defenceless or unprotected in the difficult task of facing life.’

                                     We hope this government is listening.

                                                                                                     Gaia Charis,Oct.2010.