Does The Irish Government Pay For a Carer in Your Home?

Older people, those with early onset dementia or a disability can apply for free help at home, but those looking for a more extensive care package might need to look elsewhere. Jenny Diamond from Carer Payroll, which offers a complete payroll service for families who employ a carer, is here to help you explore your options.

When an elderly, disabled or sick relative needs some extra support, it can be difficult to know where to turn to get them the care they need. Aside from the expense, nursing home care can be a heartbreaking wrench away from familiar and comforting surroundings. However, the government’s Home Support Service typically only extends to home help with simple everyday tasks and doesn’t provide the vital long-term daily companionship and emotional support many vulnerable people crave. Here, Jenny Diamond, Co-Director of Carer Payroll, a Louth-based payroll company focussed on relieving the stress on families who employ carers, assesses the pros and cons of in-home and nursing home care packages.

Option 1: Home Support Service

Through the Home Support Service, the Health Service Executive (HSE) helps older people to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. The scheme provides support with everyday tasks such as getting in and out of bed, bathing and dressing.

Pros:

This is a free service that anyone over 65 who needs support to live at home can apply for. The service is also available to younger people with a disability or early onset dementia. The services provided vary depending on individual needs, but typically includes help with everyday tasks such as getting in and out of bed, bathing and dressing.

Cons:

The identity of the carer can vary with each visit based on a rota system of HSE staff and external providers so it can be difficult to build rapport. This is compounded by the fact that demands on the service mean visits are typically short (around 15 minutes) bookending the day. The time of the visit is also at the discretion of HSE meaning your loved one can be tucked up in bed much earlier than they would like, or conversely up, bathed and dressed much earlier than they need or would like.

Option 2: Nursing Home Care

If your loved one is struggling with day-to-day living, you might be considering moving them to a nursing home full-time where there is always a member of staff on hand to help.

Pros:

You can have the peace of mind of knowing that trained nursing staff are there to care for your loved one. Residential homes also offer a level of social interaction, allowing elderly people to mix with their peers through activities and events.

Cons:

Nursing homes are notoriously expensive (according to Comptroller, the average weekly charge for a public nursing home is €1,564). While help is available through HSE’s Fair Deal Scheme, the scheme is means tested, meaning savings, property and income can all be ploughed into to fund the nursing home care package. The three-step application process can also be hard to navigate. On top of this, leaving one’s home behind can be an emotionally loaded and difficult thing to accept.

Option 3: Employing a Carer at Home

At Carer Payroll, we work with families who employ a carer in their home. The families we work with love the fact that this option offers the best of both worlds: bespoke care from a trusted source in the comfort of their own home.

Pros:

Your loved one can continue to enjoy the comfort of living at home in their familiar environment, while receiving care from a person they know and trust. You also have control over the amount, type and regularity of the care they receive. Many of our clients opt to employ a live-in carer so there is someone on hand in an emergency, others tell us that having someone who is able to sit and chat with their loved one and reminisce over a cuppa is just as important as support with dressing and bathing. You can also opt to employ a carer to complement or top up the free service provided by HSE.

Cons:

You have several Revenue obligations as an employer. At Carer Payroll, we can look after this worry for you. For a small annual fee of €299, we’ll set you up as an employer and deal with all Revenue returns and correspondence, run your carer’s payroll, provide payslips and give unlimited help and advice on financial complexities, such as carer shares and splitting tax credits. While privately hiring a carer can be expensive, many of our clients are surprised by how affordable this option is in comparison to residential home care. We can help you draft an employment contract tailored to your needs and budget and can help you claim 40% tax relief back on the cost.

For more help and advice on employing a carer at home, get in touch with the Carer Payroll team today.