‘Once again, family carers are pushed back – it is another kick on top of several bruises for us’
TRACY CARROLL from Kells, Co Meath, is desperately hoping that carers will be prioritised as a matter of urgency as her daughter Willow relies on her for everything.
If Tracy were to get sick – or worse, if her daughter were to catch coronavirus – the repercussions could be ‘horrendous’.
“I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I developed Covid,” says Tracy, who is married to John and has a son, Noah (6).
“Willow has grade five cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She is PEG fed (through a tube), has very complex needs and is extremely vulnerable. She needs 24/7 care and relies on me for every aspect of her life. If I had to isolate, I genuinely don’t know how we would manage as John is at work and we don’t have anyone else to step in.
“And if she got it herself, it would be even worse as it could be extremely dangerous for her and her life would be at stake.”
The mother of two believes the Government needs to stop looking at carers as a group, and allow family doctors to make a decision on which members of their practice are most at need.
“They need to stop generalising about carers,” she says. “Of course there are a lot of people who care for elderly family members who may already be vaccinated, but there are many others looking after children and people with complex needs and we live in fear of the virus coming into the house.
“We have even had to tell Noah, who adores his sister, that he is not allowed to hug or kiss her now that he has gone back to school as we are so terrified that she might pick up something.
“People with underlying conditions need to be considered a priority and GPs should be allowed to deal with it on a case-by-case basis as they will know who is vulnerable and who really needs the vaccine as a matter of urgency. We are trying to keep things as normal as possible at home but, in reality, we are living in fear as it is a constant worry.
“Once again, carers have been pushed to the back – since this pandemic started, we haven’t been offered any PPE or financial supports to help us to deal with this and our place in the vaccination schedule is just another kick to several bruises that we suffer on a regular basis.”
Carers could be one of the groups to be moved up the vaccine priority list, head of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee Prof Karina Butler said last week.
But Catherine Cox, head of communications and policy with Family Carers Ireland, says the current situation is devastating for carers who feel they are being ‘ignored’ in terms of the need for vaccines. She said: “They were cast aside for PPE, they were ignored for priority testing, and now they are being ignored for vaccinations.
“How does that show we value and recognise the work family carers do? The programme for government clearly states: ‘Family carers are the backbone of care provision. They deserve support and recognition from government’.
“Actions speak louder than words and our government has failed family carers. We need family carers included as a priority group for vaccinations now because carers can’t wait.”
Carers seeking advice and help can visit www. familycarers.ie or call Freephone Careline 1800 24 07 24.
‘We’re trying to keep things normal but we are living in fear’