‘No respite and very little support’ for family carers in Kilkenny
Kilkenny councillor describes the current carer’s allowance as ‘paltry’
Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh put forward a motion to elected officials earlier this week seeking that Kilkenny County Council ‘request the Minister for Finance and the HSE to substantially increase the funding to help families who care for family members who are young or not so young and who have medical needs, whether mental or physical’.
The motion stated that ‘a very unfair burden is being placed on families at the moment with little recognition for the care they provide or for their own personal wellbeing’.
“Carers are unsung heroes,” Cllr Cavanagh stated. “But the way they are being treated is dreadful.”
Cavanagh described the current carer’s allowance as ‘paltry’ and added that ‘there should be no means testing for carer’s allowance’.
“The fact of the matter is that the State should recognise the contribution of carers at home,” she said.
Her motion was seconded by Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr Andrew McGuinness, at this month’s full meeting of Kilkenny County Council.
Cllr John Coonan stated that he too ‘heavily endorses’ the motion.
Cllr Maria Dollard, a family carer, stated that ‘the older you get, the harder it gets’.
“There’s no respite and very little support,” she said.
Cllr Dollard also suggested writing to Anne Rabbitte, Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with special responsibility for Disability.