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Home Helps vow to continue battle against cuts printable version

05 Dec 2012: posted by the editor - Health, Ireland

Treatment of elderly and disabled "disgraceful"
The Home Help/Home Care Community Action Group will be joining the anti-austerity budget day demonstration today to once again make it clear to Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the HSE that they will not give up until every last hour of home help cut this year has been reversed. They say they have also vowed to hold the government accountable.

Speaking ahead of today's event, Paula Campbell, a home care worker and campaigner based in Wicklow, gave her reasons for joining the protest: "I have seen first hand the devastation the cuts to home help hours have; clients receiving very little social interaction with their carer, who might be the only person they see for several days, a simple cup of tea and a chat can mean so much to the mental health of a person. Social care is every bit as vital as physical care, which is also impacted. How can a person who has a physical disability be helped to get up, showered/washed and dressed in a half hour visit? It simply can't be done.

"The carer's on the front line," Ms. Campbell continues, "often work outside their meagre hours to help clients sustain their dignity and respect, to do their job properly. However, this cannot always be possible when there are other clients to visit also with a half hour slot. These cuts make no economic sense, and are not only financially wrong but morally wrong; the treatment of the elderly and/or disabled in this country is disgraceful.

Ms. Campbell concluded: "I personally believe it is only a matter of time before a tragedy happens and someone will be found too late to help, and this government will have their blood on their hands. When and not if this happens, we will remind this government every single day that the culpability lays at their door; we will never let them forget. These cuts have to be reversed and reversed immediately—this is why I will be taking part today's protest march alongside many other campaigns fighting back against the cuts."

Tags: Home Help, Home Care

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