Limerick family carer honoured with award following 'tireless' efforts
A LIMERICK carer has been awarded for her ‘tireless’ and ‘resilient’ efforts at the 2022 Netwatch Family Carer of the Year Awards.
Colette O’Shea from Lisnagry was awarded as she cares for her husband Kieran who has Motor Neuron Disease and frontal lobe dementia and also cares for her son Luke (11) who has advanced Crohn’s Disease.
Colette's aim for the future is to ensure her husband and son receive the best care possible and to make life as normal as possible for both, while also raising her other two children Haydn (10) and Caoimhe (8).
The Netwatch Family Carer of the Year Awards (now in their fifteenth year) seeks to recognise and shine a light on the remarkable contribution of the more than half a million people in Ireland who provide care at home to loved ones.
The 19 million hours of unpaid care provided each week by family carers would cost the state €20bn a year to replace.
Family carers often go unnoticed in the community despite the immense workload they take on and the significant commitment they show to those that they care for.
This has particularly been the case during the pandemic with many left increasingly isolated.
Family Carers Ireland Community Support Manager for Limerick Jean Ryan said: “Caring for a loved one at home can be rewarding but it can also be challenging, particularly in the absence of vital supports and services including respite.
“These awards are an important event in our calendar every year as we seek to provide some small recognition to all of those who care at home for loved ones with additional needs and to ensure their stories are heard.
“As a society, we must ensure that family carers are not only recognised for their immense contribution but truly supported to care safely at home,” Ms Ryan said.