Almost 50% of family carers in Ireland have ill mental heath

Almost half of the family carers in Ireland have ill mental health. 

That's according to a infographic report by Care Alliance Ireland, which was released ahead of their annual general meeting today. 

The group's infographic shows a massive 70% increase in the number of carers diagnosed with depression in just ten years between 2009 and 2019. 

According to Family Carers Ireland, family carers save the state €20billion per year in financial contribution. 

However, just under 7% of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection's budget is spent on income supports for family carers. 

An average of forty four hours of care per week per carer is provided, according to Care Alliance, even though 50% of carers combine both paid work and family care. 

A total of 12.5% of Ireland are carers, or 499,000 people. 

Approximately 205,000 of those people receive some kind of financial support for full-time caring, namely the Carers Allowance or the Carers Support Grant.