Furious family carers who work 24/7 looking after loved ones rounded on the Government yesterday.
Carers took turns inside a cage outside the Dail in a potent symbol of how they feel after a Budget that failed to deliver.
Among them was Jacinta Fortune from the Navan Road in Dublin who was in tears as she vented her frustration and anger.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. All we want is recognition. We feel trapped like I am in this cage,” she said.
She said that the Government recognises neither the struggle or the contribution of carers, in the state.
Despite increasing the hours that a family carer can work or study from 15 to 18.5 hours a week, Paschal Donohoe’s budget brought no increase in the income disregard for Carer’s Allowance.
That means the Government has created a potential poverty trap for family carers.
They may find that their Carer’s Allowance may be cut if they work additional hours.
Carers feel the government has given with one hand and taken away with the other.
Family Carers Ireland estimate that carers save the State €10 billion a year because of the work they do looking after loved ones in the home.
“The Government have family carers in a box. They think they ticked it. Well they didn’t. Our phones have been ringing with furious family carers demanding proper recognition,” said Catherine Cox of Family Carers Ireland.
She says that the allocation of one million additional home care hours announced in the budget will not meet the current demand.
“With current waiting lists and demographic changes, this allocation isn’t enough and leaves family carers trapped in crisis,” she added.
Carers have two central demands; reform of the means test for Carer’s Allowance and an end to the ‘postcode lottery in homecare and carer supports.
The protest was met by Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty who told the Irish Mirror that she understood the frustration and anger of carers.
“It will take time. I understand the anger I am listening to the individual stories. We delivered some improvements in the budget but I accept more needs to be done over the coming years,” she said.
