Carers Leave/Benefit and Home Care Package

Hi folks

I'm considering taking Carers Leave from work to help care for my elderly mother. One question that arises is that she is currently in receipt of a Home Care Package of 2 hours per day. It is no longer enough, that's why I'm considering Carers Leave, but I wonder would this Home Care Package be lost if I received Carers Leave and Carers Benefit.

I'm hoping it wouldn't be lost - for one thing it would be some respite for me as carer and some female help in personal hygiene for my mother would be very helpful (I'm male).

Any opinions/pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks

Sandboy

No, it wouldn't be lost.

In fact, you can actually request additional care from the HSE if it's deemed your Mother requires it which it sounds like she does.

Additional hours won't affect you taking Carers Leave & Benefit either.

Thanks Samsonite

That's great news. I was afraid that it might be deemed that she didn't need the Home Care Package anymore if there was now someone caring for her full-time, and in receipt of a state benefit for it.

Sandboy.

Hello..

I would suggest you have a chat with your mother local nurse .. she maybe able to be in a request for additional hours. Or may provide some insight in to care or how her care needs may evolve which might inform your decision..

It such a big step to become a full time carer ( I’m doing that and am speaking from experience) and I wouldn’t recommend you take it on lightly .. see if you could get more home help hours .. the max payment you will get of social welfare is circa 220 a week .. so I’d say try and cut your own hours In work .. could you do some part .. or hire private provider for one or two hours.. take it step by step rather than cutting out work completely!! You have to mind yourself in all this.. it’s such a hard a role to undertake .. best wishes

Thanks for that advice Mary. I'm hoping to keep some working hours...a max of 15 hours a week is allowed, to supplement the carer's benefit payment, and to try it out for a period before committing to a longer-term arrangement.

Do you have some Home Care hours while you're caring full time?

Hello,

Yes I do .. my mam would have been gravely ill but she has pulled out of all that stuff now..and about 2 1/2 years on..

If I were you link in with your mam’s nurse ..

Link in with the carers association.. they might give you a stear re the application form.,

For some reason the nurse is supposed to ask if you get state benefits ( carers) .. as you aren’t supposed to get as much .. the carers association will fill you in on their campaign around these types of issues.. it didn’t impact the amount of time I got , as the nurse here is very good .. but others might take a different view..