The Carers' Association has urged TDs and senators to fight to protect family carers from any cuts in the forthcoming supplementary budget on April 7th.
It held briefings for TDs and senators this morning to outline proposals that would improve the lives of carers while not increasing costs on the Exchequer. These proposals follow a decision by the Government to scrap the long-awaited National Carers Strategy, because of the economic downturn.
Carers had hoped that the strategy would have set out a range of measures to make life easier for more than 160,000 people who care for family members and relatives. More than 40,000 people are full-time carers.
The cost-neutral proposals presented by the Carers' Association today include the introduction of quality standards in community and home care services and a carer-awareness training programme for HSE and Government department staff who deal with carers.
Carers are seeking a provision allowing two people to share the carers’ allowance if they are providing care on a part-time basis. They are also calling for a pilot project within the primary school curriculum which focuses on carers and on the needs of young carers in particular.
Frank Goodwin, chairman of the association warned that demands on carers would increase as the number of people aged over 65 years was set to increase by 80 per cent, to over 800,000 by 2025.
“A rapidly growing older population as well as new nursing home regulations will have a very serious impact on the level of care required in Ireland”, he said.
“Following the disgraceful decision not to publish the long fought for National Carers Strategy, we are asking Government not to cut essential social welfare supports for family carers.”
Mr Goodwin said family carers provided more than three million hours of care in the home every week and saved the State at least €2.5 billion a year.
