Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This may have been discussed in my absence. I know all the members of the group here are conscious of the case of a person, usually a woman, who cares for a child with particular needs, sometimes quite profound needs, at home with help from respite and occasional residential care. As life goes on, the burden becomes greater and the fear of what happens afterwards becomes greater as well. Somebody mentioned to me recently that she has spent half of her life caring - nothing else - and attempting to work at the same time. There comes a time, if the burden becomes so great, when the person loses heart. If that person loses heart, then the State has to pick up the entire responsibility. I want to try to emphasise the need for increased respite or week-long or weekend - whichever is more appropriate - respite care so that the person concerned in dealing with the caring to such an extent that he or she has done can live even half a life independently. That person may need to do so anyway to earn a living, because there may be other siblings.