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National Alliance
for Caregiving |
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International Caregiving Legislation |
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Ireland |
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Population: 4.1 million Caregiving demographics:
Based on the population census of 2006 there are 160,917 family Carers in Ireland, which represents 4.8 % of the total population. This figure is understood to be an underestimation. The census question asks “Do you provide regular unpaid personal help for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability” There are five boxes from which to select the one which represents your situation:
1. Yes, 1 – 14 hours a week........Results:.... Number of Carers = 93,363 Carers are providing care and support to children and adults of all ages who have serious illnesses, disabilities or other conditions which would prevent them from living in their own homes if their Family Carers were not there for them.
The 160,917 Carers are from all age groups, from teenagers who are losing out on education & social life to older persons having to stay in the labour market unpaid, when they should be enjoying their older years and looking after their own health and wellbeing. Carers are female and male, rural and urban, some providing care 24/7 while others work part-time or full-time in the paid economy. Some Carers travel a long way from their own home and work place every Friday evening to provide full-time care and companionship to their elderly parents who lives in the original family home. Come Sunday evening or first thing on Monday morning these Carers have to set out on the road back to work, hoping that phone contact will hold things together until next Friday. Many face the prospects of a growing level of dependency and the need to decide on part-time work or leaving the paid economy for an indefinite period. Some Carers have serious illness or disabilities themselves and provide care, including fulltime care, for a dependent relative. Many older people look after a very dependent spouse or brother or sister, while others continue their lifelong work of caring for their adult son or daughter and worry about how long they can continue and what the future holds for the person they love and care-for, after they die.
We purposefully focus on the Carers as workers because we believe this needs to be put under the spotlight of equality and justice. Of course Carers are also parents brothers and sisters, spouses and friends who provide love, companionship, loyalty and friendship and receive the same themselves as well. This is not to deny those relationships that are experiencing stress, strife and worry and the isolation and loneliness of Carers and the person being cared-for where mental illness and dementia type illness limit and breakdown communication and reciprocal relationships.
Approximately 33,000 Carers qualify for the Carers Allowance, a government income support payment. To qualify for this requires medical verification of need and a means test, which takes into consideration a spouse or partner’s income as well as saving etc. The maximum payment per week for Carers under 65 years of age is 214 Euros, while those 65 years and over receive 232 Euros caring for one person. Carers, under 65 years providing care for two or more persons receive 348 Euros and those 65 years and older receive 321 Euros. (March 2008).
Fulltime Carers who qualify for the Carers Allowance receive between 2/3 Euros a day more than a person who is unemployed.
Carers do not want charity. Carers want justice and equality. Carers have been posed that eternal question, which has long been consigned to history within the paid employment sector: With limited resources what should the priority be (A) Provide more services which benefit the cared-for-person and therefore also benefit the Carers or (B) Provide Carers with a market rate for their work (€13 per hour for a forty hour week). Somebody has to make the hard decisions…that is government’s job. Everybody agrees that Carers are working provide essential care within the home / community setting. Everybody agrees that fulltime Carers work very long hours and some of the work is heavy and some requires skills for the job. There are similar jobs in the public and private sectors that require recognised training and skills and pay about €13 an hour.
Will the government face the hard question in developing the Family Carers Strategy this year or will they opt for the soft option of posing one need against another?
Carers, at a conservative estimate, provide each year 193.7 million hours of labour to our economy. This is an input by Carers of €2.5 Billion a year. There is a hard question to be answered and a hard decision to be made.
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Ireland’s Caregiving Legislation
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· www.welfare.ie Details for Social Welfare Acts, providing for Carers’ Allowance (Means tested), Carers’ Benefit (entitlement based on contributions), and Respite Grant (yearly grant) · Health Acts, especially Health Act 2007, define eligibility for health and social services. · Disability Act 2005, has implications for Carers, but does not give the Carer a right to her/his own needs assessment. · Carers’ Leave Act 2001, provides for leave of up to 2 years with employment rights protected for people who leave work in order to care. · Parental Leave Act 1998 provides for limited paid leave from work, (3 days in ant year) in family crises. This is called force majeure leave. · Nursing Homes Acts include provisions for an assessment of the care needs of people applying for nursing home subventions. · www.equality.ie Equality Acts of 1998 & 2004 prohibit discrimination on nine grounds, including family status. The Equality Authority, in 2005, published their report “Implementing equality for carers.” · Family Support Agency Act 2001, arguably a suitable agency for channelling support to Family Carers. · www.carersireland.com Carers Act: We are seeking a Carers Act to include (a) Recognition of Family Carers, (b) A right to assessment of the needs of Family Carers and (c) targeting resources to meet these needs. · Other: The government committed to producing a National Carers’ Strategy by the end of 2007 in the Social Partnership Agreement 2006 – 2015, titled “Towards 2016”. This deadline of 2007 has not been achieved and as work is in progress the revised date of 2008 seems achievable. |
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To add to or update information in this section, download the form below and e-mail the completed form to webmaster@caregiving.org. International Caregiving Legislation Submission Form(Word file – 22K)
Updated: 8/11/03 |
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