I work full time in Dublin and my 90-year-old mum lives down the country. She lives on her own with the necessary support of carers three times a day (one of which we pay for). It generally works well and I am grateful for the HSE carer support morning and evening.
However, over the past number of years, there have been many times where I have had to fill in where the HSE supports are unavailable due to holidays, sick leave or, like today, the snow. I have always taken annual leave on those occasions including today. This leaves me really short of any time out and I really struggled with it in 2024. Already I have used three days of 2025 leave.
I know there is paid carer’s leave but not for sporadic days like I have been taking to fill gaps in my mum’s care. I also know I can take a number of unpaid carer’s leave days but I am wondering are there any other options for leave where it may not affect me financially or affect my pension.
Ms A.M.
Carers, both those who are paid for the role and family carers, are among the most underappreciated people in our society. In most cases, the people they are working with in their homes are very vulnerable and would otherwise need to be accommodated in hospitals and nursing homes at far greater expense to the State.
Last week’s winter snap threw the problem into stark relief. In parts of the State, it was impossible for people to get out of their homes to get to work — and that applied to carers the same as everyone else. But the care needs of the people they are helping don’t simply disappear. Many have limited mobility and can manage neither their personal care needs nor their hot food preparation without some help.
And they are certainly not in a position to manage things if pipes freeze or utilities like water and power are cut.
It fell to you and people like you to drop everything and undertake sometimes treacherous journeys to make sure elderly family members were not left on their own.
In past times, when families were more nuclear and tended not to stray far, there was normally one or more family members locally who would be on hand to help with family members. That is no longer true in many cases, including yours.
And, as you have discovered, while some supports are available, they are of very limited use to many family carers — especially people like you who need to step in to provide care on occasion when other arrangements fall through.
Carer’s Benefit is available to those who have sufficient PRSI stamps to qualify. But, leaving aside any other requirements, you are restricted to working no more than 18½ hours a week and earning no more than €450 a week after taxes. That figure is due to rise to €625 from July this year.
More importantly, it is available only to those providing full-time care and so is of no use to you.
The same is true of Carer’s Allowance which is, if anything, even more restrictive as you have to pass a means test. And again, it is relevant only for those providing full-time care, and so no good for someone in your position.
So what is left for someone in your position?
Formally, nothing really. The State is relying on you to sacrifice your income, career prospects and time — including your holiday entitlement — to provide support for your mother that really should fall to them.
The Health Service Executive has decided that your mother genuinely needs the care but if circumstances determine it cannot provide that care, there is no fallback support other than you or your family unless your elderly mother is admitted to hospital or another care facility. And that’s no answer either.
Respite can provide a breather but it is not designed to cope with sudden weather-related emergencies. It is generally a more planned process though it certainly might be worth pursuing as the year progresses to coincide with periods when your mother’s regular carers take holiday.
Depending on where you are in the State it can be organised through your local HSE public health nurse or certain private organisations but, again, that can come at a cost.
For now, on occasions like last week’s freeze, that leaves you dependent on the good graces of your employer — and that can depend on the nature of your work.
Despite the current enthusiasm for bringing people back to the office, employers are generally far more comfortable with the notion of hybrid working than they would have been before the pandemic. It may not be their preferred option but experience has shown that allowing people to work more flexibly has not adversely affected productivity.
For sure, this means finding a way to shoehorn your work around your role as emergency carer, but that can be a more attractive option than giving up chunks of your annual leave to firefight when the regular carers are not available for one reason or another.
Of course, it depends on the nature of your job. The conversation about hybrid work often presumes it is an option for everyone but many jobs in manufacturing and public-facing roles like the health service or retail require your physical presence.
Other employers may turn a blind eye to the odd “personal day” here and there to cover emergencies but that is a lottery and not something you would want to rely on.
All of which goes to highlight once again how the State is relying on people’s families to cover the holes in its health and welfare provision.
Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street Dublin 2, or by email to dominic.coyle@irishtimes.com with a contact phone number. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice
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