This article is from page 14 of the 2012-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
THERE are now more than 5,000 unpaid carers in the county who are providing help to friends or family members who are aged or are suffering from long-term illnesses or disabilities.
These figures have been revealed by the Central Statistic Office from the 2011 census returns, which show the amount of carers in the county has grown immeasurably over the past number of years.
The CSO figures show that the county now has 5,315 unpaid carers, with the majority of these people providing up to 14 hours a week looking after their loves ones and friends.
The proportion of the population of Clare now involved in providing unpaid care runs at 4.5 per cent, a percentage that places the county ninth in the national league of un- paid carers that is headed by Mayo with 5 per cent.
The majority of Clare carers are women – 3,252 women provided unpaid care to relatives and friends as against 2,064 males.
A breakdown of these figures reveal that 1,357 women provide up to 14 hours of unpaid care a week, while at the other end of the scale 771 women, as against 336 men, provide over 43 hours of unpaid held per week.
These figures for the county, which were gleaned from the census that was taken in April 2011, have been released against the backdrop of a drastic cut in home help hours in the county, which has kicked in over the last number of months.
In September it was announced that there would be a 5.5 per cent cut in the number of home help hours and a 3.7 per cent cut in home care packages – decisions taken by the Minister for Health, James Reilly that led Clarecare director, Fiachra Hensey, to say that many families across the county would be in a “very vulnerable” position.
“The level of vulnerable people out there is huge. I think funding for home help and home care packages should be increased, instead of decreased,” he said.
Clarecare delivers 180,000 hours of home help across the county through 400 part-time home helps, which benefits about 1,000 families.