Carers Feel Unsupported and Undervalued

Picture © Pixabay

On Monday’s Morning Focus, we focused on the plight of carers and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sector. Rose from Tulla is a carer for her elderly mother. She opened up about the frustration she feels at the lack of support for carers. She voiced her annoyance that carers have had to go through a lengthy applicaiton process for means-tested financial support, when the €350 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was made readily available to workers. She argues that nobody is fighting their corner. She herself receives €219 a week to look after her mother.

Later in the show, Catherine Cox from Family Carers Ireland reacted to the concerns that Rose raised and highlighted her grave concerns with the the HSE’s Winter Plan and how supports are planned to be administered, which she feels could put extra pressure on carers.