Tag: Carers

Caregiver Advice

Home Care Financial Assistance

Home Care Financial Assistance

Employed person taking care of an incapacitated individual

Employing a care giver for yourself or a family member i.e spouse, civil partner, child or a relative, including a relation through marriage or civil partnership is a huge step. One that you need to be 100% comfortable with, both emotionally and financially.

As an employer of a carer you are entitled to claim tax relief on this cost, provided the care is for yourself or a family member. This includes employing a carer from an agency or using an agency’s services, such as ourselves. Charitable/voluntary organisations such as the Alzheimer’s society of Ireland also fall under this home care financial assistance.

Tax allowances and reliefs reduce the amount of tax that you have to pay. As of January 2015 you are entitled to claim tax relief for employing a carer up to the cost of €75,000 (previous to this it was €50,000) for each incapacitated individual. This is a tax relief rate of 41%.

If employing a care giver yourself, you have duties and responsibility towards your care givers. You must ensure they receive the following:

  • Employment contract : (minimum wage rate, hours, holidays)
  • Payslips
  • Employee’s tax
  • Social insurance

If you decide to go through an agency for care, these responsibilities fall on the agency. If you wish to take this route, you are still eligible to claim tax relief on the cost of care through an agency.

To claim this tax relief the individual receiving care must be fully incapacitated from the tax year starting January through to December. However the care giver does NOT have to be employed for this period of time.

If you have been granted Dependent Relative Tax Credit (section 466) or an Incapacitated Child Tax Credit (section 465) you are not eligible for this tax relief.

If you wish to apply for this tax relief you can submit your P60 and your spouses if required to your local Revenue office.

If you are a PAYE tax payer and wish to apply for this tax relief you can download the following pdf tax relief for employing a carer on form HK 1 (pdf) or contact the your local Revenue office (all numbers available at http://www.revenue.ie/en/contact/lo-call.html )

To discuss this and any other queries please contact myhomecareie.wpengine.com.

 

Caregiver Advice

Caregiving, recognising signs of depression and how to cope with it.

While in the process of providing exceptional care to others, many caregivers fail to provide themselves with proper care. Providing proper care for others is oftentimes all-consuming, especially if the person receiving the care suffers from Alzheimer’s or is incontinent.

If you are an otherwise healthy and capable person but lately you’ve not been feeling “right,” the stress of your job may be taking a toll. Depression may be setting in, especially if you find yourself crying for no apparent reason, and/or feeling tired, angry, frustrated, anxious, or alone. Pay attention to these feelings; they’ll likely get worse if you don’t take action.

Here are some tips for avoiding the depression that often accompanies caregiving:

Take time out for Yourself
Caregivers rarely take time for themselves. If you’re not taking time to rest, eat well and exercise moderately, you will suffer. Maybe not today or next week, but it will happen. It really doesn’t take long to plan and prepare nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks. Doing so gives your body the fuel it needs to perform all the tasks you ask of it. You’ve got to get uninterrupted rest, too. Get exercise any way you can: gardening, housekeeping, going up and down stairs, walking the aisles of the grocery store, playing your favorite sport, even pushing a wheelchair can get your heart beating and your blood flowing.

Do things at your own pace
Do what you can, when you can. It may help to prioritise your caregiving duties. Focus on those daily tasks that absolutely must get done. Schedule the other tasks when you have time. Once you start to prioritise your work, you’ll notice that you actually get more accomplished.

Ask for Assistance
Speak with your family members about your need for help, and together, figure out when others can come in so you can have a break. If you have no family members, you’ve got to hire in-home help, or make arrangements at a senior day care facility. Do whatever it takes to get time off. YOUR health depends on this.

Put a Moratorium on Guilt
No one gains from feeling guilty, in fact, guilt is an immobilising emotion. Let it go and you’ll feel better instantly.

Have Some Fun
Keep social events on your calendar and your health will benefit. Get out to the movies, have coffee, – do whatever it is that you enjoy – in the company of others.

Caregiver Advice

Someone to lean on- Guardian Weekend 28.05.11

I have attached a link to an article which was published in the Guardian Weekend 28.05.11, it acknowledges that looking after the older person is a costly and complex challenge and that home visiting has been promoted as preferable and cheaper than residential care. But asks the question is 15 minutes per day enough. In the article Amelia Gentleman accompanies a number of carers on their rounds to experience what it is like for them and the people they look after on a daily basis.  Click on the link below for the full article.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/28/caring-for-elderly-in-own-homes/print

Caregiver Advice

Caring For Carers Conference

Caring for Carers Ireland 20th Annual Respite Weekend & Conference takes place at the Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire 25th – 27th March 2011. Over 500 Family Carers from throughout Ireland, North and South attend the Conference each year.
Carers provide ongoing care and support to older people and people with disabilities within their homes. Myhomecare.ie is proud to support this conference and will be in attendance over the week. Looking forward to meeting all the Carers.