Iv been a carer for my severly disabled son all his life 16 years. Iv never ever used this grant on anything other than bills. Every year at Xmas I’d borrow money from whatever source I could to tide us over untill it came through in June. For the paltry few bob you revive on carers allowance that your expected to raise a family on it’s needed for the bills. My little man died suddenly in febuary So I won’t revive it this year. It’s actually quiet devastating, as I still owe the money I borrowed at Xmas and still have to pay for his wheelchair van that is impossible to sell. The long and short of it is, carers like me are just thrown on the shit heap when the person we care for dies, broke, devastated, lonely, with little education and social life. I know we are in recession but I alone saved this government millions by taking care of my son on my own and not putting him into care. And I feel very let down.I think This grant should be paid to carers if the person been cared for dies within the same year!

I have been a carer for the last 6 years and i can say hand on heart i have never used the respite grant for anything other than bills , oil and necessities for my mother at home . Some care homes are 1,000 euro and more per week and to be honest by the time you have it all organised and ready its not worth it for a week or so . What really annoys me is the weekly carers allowance that we have to survive on , 204 euro per week .
During a difficult week i am dealing with 4-5 hrs sleep a night and its a 7 day week also if i become ill i c’ant take a sick day off it can be very difficult. I must say that caring for my mother is my choice and i would not change it for anything,
but to label carers as another burden on the social welfare system is wrong , carers are doing what the goverment should be doing looking after the people that matter to us all….

The post is misleading although it does highlight the reality for many carers. Respite comes in many forms, including a little less financial worry. Even if satisfactory care is sourced, the carer finds it hard to let go. For me I bring my son away with his brother to a hotel , in Ireland, for a mid week offer. It is a change of wallpaper and no washing up! The Carers Association can provide the figures for savings to the State. It is shameful of our Government to continue to harass and target Carers.

The content of this article is good but the headline its misleading. It paints underpaid carers in a bad light. In many cases, carers fear leaving their disabled and vulnerable children/loved ones with strangers, no matter how supposedly professional the respite workers are. In many cases respite us bout available due to underfunding. And also, the amount it would cost the State to ‘look after’ such people would be tenfold what they pay carers, many of whom are qualified to earn a lot more than they do as full-time carers. This story sounds like the sort of spin the government issues as a precursor to cut such funding. Shame on the government and all the previous governments dour never doing enough for the disabled and their carers.

Hi Patrick,

thanks for your comment. The headline is certainly not intended to paint carers in a bad light, but rather highlight the difficulties in obtaining respite care for loved ones, and breaks for carers.

Thanks again for your input,
Emer

I do the same take my son to a Travelodge for four days rest go on bills keeping car on the road if I did not have the car we would never get out cos son is a flight risk so have to go everywhere in car

If the money is a respite grant, that is what it is. Its not a christmas grant. Wake up people, it is what it is. God forbid the person has died you were caring for but they can hardly go in to repite care if they are dead.