DUBLIN, Ireland: Thousands of carers in Ireland are reducing spending on food and heating to manage their finances, while also paying out of pocket for essential equipment like wheelchairs for their loved ones – items that the public system should normally cover.
This is according to a new report by Family Carers Ireland, which surveyed 3,000 carers. Many said that increasing financial pressure and isolation make them feel like "your world shrinks."
Government analysis for last year's Healthy Ireland report showed that about one in seven adults in Ireland are carers. The new survey also found that 48 percent of carers experience severe loneliness, according to the Irish Examiner.
Other striking findings include:
- 18 percent say it is "extremely difficult" to make ends meet, and 71 percent say it is "difficult."
- 49 percent have cut back on food or heating, and 76 percent have reduced spending on non-essential items
- 75 percent of carers have never received respite support for the person they care for
- 55 percent have paid for products or services that they should have received for free through public services
Family Carers Ireland research manager Nikki Dunne said, "The words that best summed up this survey for me were ‘your world shrinks.' That feeling came up again and again in different ways. It was not just about having no one to talk to—it was also about the lack of respite care, limited formal support, and financial struggles."
