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A specific emergency card for caregivers has been launched with the aim of alerting first responders that the person holding the card is a family caregiver.
In the event of an emergency, the person who finds the card will contact a toll-free emergency help line.
Family Carers Ireland will then initiate the individual care plan for the person in charge and, if applicable, provide up to 72 hours of emergency support at home.
Family Carers Ireland has been calling for such a plan for some time, however the organization said that Covid-19 has exasperated the need for a plan in the event a caregiver contracts the coronavirus.
The launch is in partnership with An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service Community First Aid Schemes, the Irish Red Cross and the Order of Malta.
The Emergency Card Plan has been funded by Irish Life and supported by the Dormant Account Fund administered by Pobal.
Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Caregiver Engagement at Family Carers Ireland, said she is confident that when the emergency response plan is in place, “the government and the health service will be expected to continue funding this plan.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Ms. Cox said the resumption of daycare services for people with disabilities “continues to be a problem.”
He said that many family caregivers report that their day services have not been resumed or that they do not have transportation to get their loved one to and from day services.
“We have to affirm that family caregivers and people with disabilities cannot be left behind. The government must ensure that people with disabilities and their families get the support they need.”
Moira Skelly, who spoke with RTÉ in April about the need for emergency assistance for caregivers due to Covid-19, was the first person to sign up for the Emergency Caregiver Card today.
He described the move as “a step in the right direction”, however, he says the government must plan ahead.
Mrs. Skelly pointed out that she and her husband are over 60 years old and in twenty years they will not be able to take care of the youngest of their four children, Ciara.
Ciara has epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, global developmental delay and requires 24-hour care.
Speaking at the launch of the card, he called on the government to establish a structure that ensures that people like Ciara can receive care in the future.
The funding provided for the Emergency Caregiver Card is for 12 months.
Moira Skelly described it as “a great relief” for family caregivers.
Covid-19 has had a major impact on those who care for their loved ones due to the elimination of day and respite services.
Of the services that have been resumed, most have reduced capacity.
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