More than 300 Cork adults being cared for at home by elderly parents

In Cork, more than 300 adults with intellectual disabilities are being cared for at home by their elderly parents, the carers’ rights group Before We Die has said.

Working from figures provided by the CSO, advocates found that in Cork city there are 127 people with an intellectual disability being cared for by a parent over 70. In Cork county, elderly parents care for 178 adult children.

Nationally, 2,314 adults with intellectual disabilities are being cared for at home by parents aged over 70. 

Sarah Roarty, a member of Before We Die, said that for the State to adequately house those adults in the standard four-person supported living model, a minimum of 579 purpose-built homes would need to be provided without delay.

“In Cork alone, 305 individuals are in this precarious position, with 127 in Cork city and 178 in the county, requiring 77 homes immediately,” she said.

Nationally, more than 29,500 adults with intellectual disabilities are currently living at home with parents of all ages, with no housing plan in place.

“Meeting the future need of this group would require over 7,375 homes nationally, 355 in Cork city, and 586 in Cork county, based on a standard four-person supported living model,” 

Ms Roarty added.

Before We Die, which is mounting a national campaign to highlight the plight of parents who are caring for adult children with intellectual disabilities, recently held its first information evening in Cork. 

The event focused on securing long-term, stable and appropriate housing solutions for adults with intellectual disabilities and aimed to bring together families, service providers, the HSE, local authorities and public representatives.

The event, which was attended by a capacity crowd of more than 350 people, was organised by Glanmire parent Sinead McGrath.

Ms McGrath’s twin sons Alex and Lee are 23 and have intellectual disabilities. They have been on the housing list for five years. She told The Echo that parents of adult children with disabilities are desperate for help.

“I had a mother ring me last week, she is 86 and her husband is 93, and they are caring for their 59-year-old adult child,”

 she said.

“One set of parents who are 84 are caring for their daughter, who is almost 50. The father is very seriously ill, so the mother is sandwiched between caring for her spouse and her adult daughter.

“The daughter’s quality of life is suffering as a result, as they are unable to get her out and about, due to their situation, and she is ending up very isolated and alone.

“Another set of parents I spoke with are in their late 70s and caring for their adult daughter. The mother is very ill, so same scenario, the father is caring for both and is so very isolated and alone.”

The recent Before We Die meeting in Cork was opened by Deputy Lord Mayor Margaret McDonnell, with organisers thanking Cork TDs Padraig O’Sullivan and Liam Quaide for their ongoing support.

The meeting heard that the campaign seeks to move away from crisis-driven and fragmented care models, toward a coordinated, long-term approach informed by the lived experiences of families and the expertise of care and housing providers.