Related Stories
-
Man killed in Ballincollig crash
-
Chaos at City Hall
-
Jobs boost for Cork
-
Cork Monopoly edition launched
-
West Cork series writer celebrates worldwide distribution deal
-
Nonsense: Critical response to Hogan's council changes
-
Coffee morning a huge success
-
Fight for the girls coffee morning
-
Flooding risk continues across Cork
-
Norris claims on Collins sexuality dismissed in Cork
-
O’Connor to play comeback gig in Triskel
-
War of words over West Cork SOS
Devastated - that's how one home help carer expressed how she felt on the announcement last week that 32,000 hours were to be cut in home help hours in Cork, with the cuts set to be fully implemented by Christmas.
"It's just dreadful," continued the home help who works in the Ballyphehane area. "I have clients coming to me, crying because they don't know what is going to happen to them." The woman did not wish to be named as she fears it may lead to more cuts in her hours.
"I have one woman that I visit who is 100 years old. She is incontinent and needs to be seen three times a day. Her home help has been cut by 28 hours a month. I get half an hour with her a day and in that time she'll need to use a commode and then I have to wash her, dress her and then clean up.
"If I am not able to do that in half an hour, I have to ring her son, who is in his sixties, to come over to her. He should not have to do that and why should she have to be on a timer like that?"
She said that many of the elderly clients that she visits rely on her visit every day, as they have no other human interaction.
"Today's society is different to long ago. No one goes knocking on their neighbour's door anymore and these people need our help and our company. We were told that we were to receive new contracts but I haven't heard about that yet, all we are hearing is about the cuts we are getting.
"I don't know if I'll have a job before long and then I'll have to sign on for social welfare. They are trying to save money but it's a vicious circle like that. It's just constant bad news, I hate when I see a phonecall come in because I know it won't be good news," she told The Cork Independent.
The carer has been working in her area for 23 years although she is only officially recognised as having worked 10 years as that is when home helps were first officially registered.
"We're constantly being passed from one person to the next. How can I ring a family, who depend on me, and tell them that I am no longer able to help? It beggars belief. They don't care about the person affected; we are nothing but a number.
"It's going from pillar to post. We're trying to keep people in their houses but if the cuts continue then the elderly will have to be placed somewhere and that will cost the HSE even more money. I don't know what to do next, but it's scary to think about, particularly for the elderly who are directly affected."
A rally is being staged next Saturday 3 November, where protesters are planning to march from Connolly Hall to Grand Parade. All are welcome to attend and support the march. It is being organised by SIPTU and participants are being asked to meet at Connolly Hall at 1.30pm.
