This article is from page 3 of the 2011-11-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A 68-YEAR-OLD north Clare woman who has been working as a carer for 20 years is to be forced to retire at the end of 2011 – because she is too old for the job.
Lahinch native Bridie Kennedy, has written a letter to newly elected President of Ireland Michael D Higgins who, at 70 years of age, would also be forced to retire five years ago if he worked as a carer.
Bridie has been looking after a neighbour who suffers from Alzhe- imer’s Disease for the past four years. Before that she worked in a local nursing home for more than 15 years. She received a letter last month informing her that she would be forced to retire at the end of the year. Bridie is employed by Clarecare and says that organisation has been very supportive of her position.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and it is very rewarding work. I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl of 18 years, I would have made a really good nurse,” she said.
“I think it is a real shame what is being done. This new rule has just come in and according to it I should have stopped working when I was 65. One of the reason why I went for the interview with Clarecare is that there was no upper age limit. Clarecare have been very good to work for – I don’t know what a lot of people would do without them.
“I work four hours each day with a neighbour of mine. She is just a five minute walk away and I walked up to her house every day last year during the snow and ice. She is a neighbour and I have known her for years. The family are very upset. They have known me for years and year and having a familiar person there is very important – especially with Alzheimers.”
According to Bridie, being forced to retire is going have a negative impact on her social life as well as her financial situation. “I’ve been working for 50 years and now, all of a sudden, I’ll have nothing to get up in the morning for. It’s just not fair. I’ve never been sick in my life and I’m never tired. It isn’t much money but it’s great to have a few extra pounds coming in every month. More than that though it’s about getting out and meeting people. I love older people and the stories that they tell. I tell my grandchild their stories and he thinks I’m making them up. I will miss that.”
The director of Clarecare Fiachra Hensey confirmed yesterday that the official age of retirement for carers with Clarecare is now 65 years old.
“The official age of retirement is 65 and that is a fact. I have the utmost sympathy for any carers who are in good health and want to keep working. I really do,” he said.