Clubman is correct to differentiate between the most common social welfare supports for carers - that is and . Whether or not your friend is entitled to either will depend on a number of issues - the links above will explain all of these issues to you.
Your friend may also not be aware that the Carers Leave Act 2001 allows some employees . There are some restrictions of course, the person you are caring for must require constant supervision, you must be working for the same employer for 12 months, etc. The link above will explain all you need to know. It's a useful item to bear in mind however, that your job will be retained while you are caring for someone else.
A is payable to certain carers in Ireland. This grant is worth 1,200 euro per person you are caring for in June of each year.
There are a range of other supports provided throught the community health service of the HSE - these supports include home help services, meals on wheels, public health nursing, etc.
You give no indication of what age the person being cared for is and what their current status is. (i.e., whether they they are currently living alone, do they have any progressive or degenerative health conditions, are they currently in residential care, etc) so it is difficult to advise on what is available. The above is just a quick guide to common services.
Your friend is wise however to try to find out as much as possible in advance of making such a big decision. Choosing to give up work to care for someone else can be an immensely rewarding, satisfying role but your friend should be realistic, there may also often be dark, lonely, difficult times, so this is an important decision.
There are approx. 150,000 people providing daily care to others in Ireland today and it is important for anyone considering this option, to have a support network around them. I might suggest to your friend that they have a chat with someone from the
Carers Association who might be able to give them a useful perspective on the matter.
In addition, they should also discuss the home care option with the family doctor and the local public health nurse of the person being cared for in advance of making a final decision.
I hope this has helped.