'At crisis point' NI carers warn of lockdown agony
Last updated 20th Oct 2020
Carers across Northern Ireland warned today (Tuesday) they are at breaking point as they desperately try to look after their loved ones in lockdown
And they are pleading for help before the situation gets any worse
In a survey for Carers NI most said they were already struggling to cope and were worried about the onslaught of winter.
Support group head Clare-Ann Magee said reduced services for unpaid carers had pushed them to the limit.
"The pandemic has placed a huge amount of pressure on carers in Northern Ireland, who are caring round the clock for loved ones with little or no outside support," she said.
"They are worn out and it’s having a massive impact on their own physical and mental wellbeing.
“Carers are desperately worried about how they will manage over the winter and in the face of further lockdowns and tightening of restrictions."
And she appealed to decision-makers for urgent help.
“Government must co-produce an action plan with carers to restore essential services and support carers to transition back to some sort of normality while COVID-19 remains present. It must ensure funding and resources for short breaks is ringfenced, and support organisations providing short breaks to return to delivering their services safely," she added.
The findings included that almost three quarters (72%) were worried about how they will cope if further lockdowns or local restrictions were introduced.
In a survey of 761 unpaid carers in Northern Ireland, over a third (37%) said they were providing more care because the needs of the person they look after have increased.
Many cited the detrimental impact of the national lockdown on their relatives’ physical and mental health.
A similar proportion of family carers (45%) were providing more care because their local services have been significantly reduced or closed. Covid-19 infection and control restrictions mean most day services are operating at a reduced capacity and some have not opened at all.
Three quarters of carers (73%) said they were exhausted and worn out as a result of caring during the pandemic with 61% saying they were unable to take any breaks whatsoever in the last six months.