Clare carers urge Government U-turn

FAMILY carers from all over the county took to the streets of Ennis on Friday to protest over Budget cuts to the Respite Care Allowance. Around 50 people marched through the town urging the Government to do a U-turn on the controversial decision to reduce the grant by €325.

 

One of the organisers Niamh Daly, who cares for her three-year-old daughter with special needs, said she is “praying” the Government will heed the calls of carers throughout the country.

The respite grant is intended to allow carers to have a break once a year but, according to Niamh and other carers taking part in the protest, the allowance is often used to fund basic services. Niamh pays for speech and language and other services for her daughter, who was diagnosed with autism nearly a year ago.

“That €325 gets me a month of services for my daughter. The cut is just too much for someone who has to stay at home and doesn’t have a choice to work and who saves the country billions. I am a mother and I am going to stay at home and look after my daughter but I shouldn’t have to be punished for that and my child shouldn’t be punished.”

She said she was delighted with the turnout for the impromptu protest, which was organised by a group of concerned parents with the help of Facebook.

Niamh explained they are worried the cut to respite care is just the beginning. “If the Government think they can get away with cuts this year then what will happen in the next budget? They will keep cutting and we will go back to what I call the stone age when people with disabilities were put in homes. The protest here coincided with the protest in Dublin and we wanted to give people here who weren’t in a position to travel to Dublin a chance to have their say. We wanted to give the Government something to think about and the local TDs something to think about. They know that this is hard on us, all over the news there are carers throughout the country crying over what is happening. This is going to cause ructions come the next election day.”

Caring for Carers have described the impact of the Budget on family carers as “both unfair and unjust”.

Brigid Barron, innovation and programme manager of Caring for Carers commented, “Family carers are one of the most vulnerable groups in Irish society; many are older people themselves and may also have a health problem or a disability. The majority are caring for their spouse, son or daughter with a disability, often at great cost to their own health and wellbeing. The stress and worry about how they are going to manage in the coming year is of great concern to Caring for Carers. Family carers save the State up to €4 billion per year.”

While welcoming that the core payments of the Carer’s Allowance and the Half Rate Carer’s Allowance have been maintained, Caring for Carers say the overall cost increases will make caring very difficult in the future.

As well as the 20% reduction in the respite care grant, Caring for Carers have raised concerns about the increase in the prescription levy; reduction in household benefits; the rise in the threshold of the drug payment scheme and GP-only medical cards for the over 70s.

“The cumulative effect of these costs, along with all other costs such as heating, electricity, laundry costs and travel will push family carers into poverty. Ultimately these cuts, will lead to increased costs for the Government as many family carers will no longer be able to afford to continue to care for their loved ones in their homes,” she said.