Matthew Carlson meets the unsung heroes that are carers
Sometimes the people who give the most of themselves are the ones who receive the least recognition for what they do. Carers are one of these groups of people. Carers are unpaid persons, usually a family member, who help provide care to people with disabilities and injuries. The care provided by these persons is often long term and can include anywhere from a few hours a day to 24-hour care.
Liam O’Sullivan is the Executive Director at Care Alliance Ireland, an organisation that provides assistance to carers and their families. He says that carers are on every street in Ireland and most people don’t even know it.
A 2016 census released by Central Statistics Office recorded almost 200,000 unpaid carers in Ireland and as more research is done, Mr O’Sullivan says that the number can even be estimated at 360,000. These carers averaged 38.7 hours per week caring for someone, totalling over six million hours of unpaid caring.
These groups of carers include men, women, children, the elderly and lots more. This group of carers includes a staggering 3,800 children under the age of 15 providing care.
Responsibilities of a carer can include feeding, helping change clothing and even more physically tolling activities. “If you have someone who requires around the clock care maybe someone who has dementia, there could be a lot of night waking, and it can be a lot of feeding and common care. For someone with a mental illness it could just be looking out for them when they are in a state of confusion or depression or mania or it may just be helping manage their life. So it varies to what kind of care is needed,” says Mr O’Sullivan.
Louise O’Keeffe is a carer for her four-year-old daughter Ella, with the help of her son, Lee who is 10 years old. Due to a rare chromosomal disorder, Ella experiences developmental and speech problems as well as growing tumours along her nervous system. In addition, Ella also suffers from autism. “Because of her condition she requires constant care,” explains Ms O’Keeffe.
She went on to say that being a carer is difficult on not just herself and Ella, but also her son who makes sacrifices to help take care of his sister. “He is really helpful especially with helping me with things around the house and helping Ella,” says Ms O’Keeffe.
Another aspect of caring for a loved one is experiencing lack of sleep, especially if the person being cared for is suffering from dementia or another illness that can make them prone to sleep disturbances. As one can imagine, providing such intensive care can create complications for carers. Ms O’Keeffe remembers a night recently when Ella was awake from the hours of 2-7am and then had to coordinate appointments the next day.
Carers can experience illness, mental or physical which they often put on the back burner to make sure that they are able to take care of their loved one. This is the sort of extreme commitment that is required of carers.
“For some there’s a lot of minding and watching, for others it’s quite physical maybe lifting someone out of a bed, to a bed pan, into a car and for others it may be more social and less visible which can sometimes be more difficult to be appreciated because it’s more of a hidden position,” says Mr O’Sullivan.
As carers may fall ill in the wake of everyday life, many find it difficult to get the rest they need to recover because of the constant care that they need to give. Some carers can experience the mentality of ‘fighting through the sickness’ even after they are no longer caring for their loved one. Because being a carer can happen at any stage of life carers are known to put aside their own priorities like work, hobbies and even retirement.
“There’s a lot of isolation, people don’t understand you can’t be normal and it can be restrictive a lot,” says Ms O’Keeffe.
Because these positions are unpaid, carers are saving the State money that would otherwise be used to take care of their loved ones. “It depends on how you value it, but some people say 4 and some people say up to 10 but it’s definitely several billion euros of care that is provided by these men and women every year,” says Mr O’Sullivan.
These unsung heroes of society are being celebrated this week during National Carers Week from June 11–17. Care Alliance Ireland will be partnering with other organisations to put on events throughout the week such as a pampering session for carers, information on how to support local carers and even a five-a-side football game to participate in.
This year will mark 12 years since this celebration started in Ireland and Mr O’Sullivan says that Care Alliance is excited to be so involved in such an important event and help families like Ella’s.
Mr O’Sullivan says that recognising and supporting these carers shouldn’t be just once a year, but should be a constant flow of support in communities across the country.
“It’s just a message of keeping an eye out for the carers in your extended family or in your neighbourhood who are doing that care, very much so invisibly and under the radar and appreciate what they do,” says Mr O’Sullivan.
In addition to putting on events throughout the week, Care Alliance reaches out to families who need help, conducts research and partners with similar organisations in Ireland, such as the Disability Federation of Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society.
This will be the 12th year of National Carers Week in Ireland and is anticipated to be well celebrated in every county. “12 years ago we copied the UK Carers Week model and spoke with their leadership and thought it would be a good idea to bring this over to Ireland and since then we’ve had scores of national non profits who come on board as partners and really take ownership of it and reach out to people who may have not engaged with it before,” says Mr O’Sullivan.
Mr Sullivan adds that he is excited because families like Ella’s coming for the first time means that their organisation is reaching new families in the community. He also says that although carers deserve appreciation and thanks more often, he hopes that this week will show the carers of Ireland how much they are appreciated. The celebration will launch Monday morning at a location that differs from county to county.
The locations can be found at http://www.carersweek.ie/events#.Wxkvbe4vyUk
