Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

Caring is a special role that many of our citizens find themselves in suddenly without prior training, education or other supports available to them. They are a hidden workforce, saving the Exchequer significant funds by their dedicated work for the elderly, terminally ill or disabled men and women of all ages. It is estimated their work saves the State more than €2 billion annually. They are driven by a desire to ensure their loved ones remain in the comfort of their own home with their families for as long as possible. We are only in the past decade getting a picture of how many people care for family members. The 2002 census revealed a total of 148,754 carers, with 40,526 working full time and 108,228 part time. Collectively, they carry out an estimated 3 million hours of work every week. This is a staggering figure but it is an accurate indication when the 24-hour care provided replacing the care which would be provided by a hospital or other care facility is taken into account. As someone who shared the care with my siblings of our terminally ill mother for five months, I am fully aware of the fears in the early days of caring, the fatigue associated with sleepless nights and the worry that there might be some medical emergency with which one cannot deal, but it is all worthwhile to ensure that a loved one gets the type of care that comes from a family member. However, we must also recognise the impact of the stress of caring on the carer and the need for the carer to have some respite. It is vital for people to nurture themselves at such a time and it also makes them better carers.

I attended a meeting of carers in Tullamore recently. They impressed upon me the need for the publication of a national strategy for carers. The carers were aged from the mid-20s to 82 years of age. They were all in caring situations that were the same in some respects but different too. Some were caring for spouses or elderly parents with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, while others were caring for their own children with intellectual or physical disabilities. The challenging behaviour of some children is heartbreaking for the family. The 82 year old woman is caring for her 85 year old husband.

It is well documented that there are many young carers who are having their childhood stolen by assuming adult responsibilities for loved ones. It is imperative that the strategy for carers deals with all needs of adult and child carers. Financial assistance, respite and home help are all required. The solution must involve a cross-sectoral, multi-departmental and a multi-agency approach. A vital issue which must be addressed is that caring would be recognised as work. Currently, if a person gives up work to care for a loved one he or she does not receive recognition from the Department of Social Protection that the caring is in fact work. I was given an example of a gentleman who gave up work to care for his mother and did so for five years. After her inevitable death, he went to his social welfare office and was advised that his time out of the workplace as a carer was not recognised as work and would not count towards a pension in later life.

Next year, 2012 is the European year of active aging and solidarity of generations. It will focus on solidarity between generations. Caring is a clear example of such solidarity. It would be a wonderful achievement if we could have a national carers strategy in place by then.

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