I don’t think there was a person in the country who wasn’t touched in some way or other by this week’s Prime Time Investigates programme, which was aired on RTE on Monday night last.
The programme delved into the lives of those who had been affected by cuts in the healthcare budget and most of whom that were affected were family carers living in very difficult circumstances.
The daily struggles of the carers were difficult to watch, sometimes unbearable. But the bottom line is that these carers are saving our economy millions every year by looking after their loved ones in their own homes. If they were not being cared for at home they would be costing the exchequer thousands more annually to keep in full-time care. However, many of these carers were surviving on just five hours of assistance every week, which falls extremely short of what is required for most of the families concerned.
The pressures being experienced by the carers were obvious to viewers —many were at breaking point. Others struggled on, determined to fulfil the wishes of their loved ones to be cared for at home.
Unfortunately, these people are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Because they want to care for their relatives at home, the Government knows that they have these good Samaritans in a virtual headlock. The minister knows that no matter what happens, these people will care for their families and so they are not considered a priority. But what if they decided they had had enough and dropped off their loved one to a local hospital to be cared for into the future? This would cost the system a hell of a lot more than what it is costing currently on a reduced carer’s allowance.
The reduction of the carer’s allowance was a move below the belt and this current Government should be looking at reversing this move. Having watched this programme, it makes one wonder how we can be tossing billions into the banks on a daily basis while some people are literally perishing at home with chronic illnesses, syndromes, and conditions that require much more care than they are currently getting.
Both the dependant and the carer are being neglected and this was plain to see. The HSE once again wash their hands of the situation and claim lack of funds. But if only they managed the funds they had somewhat more appropriately, the situation might improve. Cutting the allowance of carers who save this country millions in care costs every year is a retrograde step. It is putting so much pressure on carers that many of them are at breaking point and it will not be long before some of them will also need full-time care if they are pushed to their limit. The person being cared for is also a tragic victim. They are not getting the care they need and therefore they are not reaching their potential every day. It was heartbreaking to see a little girl with autism so frustrated as she was not able to communicate how she was feeling to her mother and to see her mother at a loss as to what to do next. Both are victims and neither is going to prosper in our current system.
We have to hope that Dr O’Reilly, Minister for Health, watched this programme and that his heartstrings were tugged as tightly as ours were, as he is the only person who can do anything about this. He needs to talk to the HSE about the distribution of their funds. If there need to be cuts, they clearly need to be made elsewhere. This situation would bring tears to a stone. Let’s hope our new Minister for Health is not made of stone.
