A NORTHSIDE woman has won an award for her Trojan work in caring for her son.
Marie O’Toole Wyer, from Rush, has been named the 2018 North Dublin CarePlus Carer of the Year.
Marie cares for Karl who has the life limiting Angelmans Syndrome. Karl is paralysed completely on his left side and is in a wheelchair. He also has an intellectual disability and is non-verbal.
There have been several occasions when the doctors have advised the family to prepare for the worst, but Marie has battled on and fought to save Karl and give him the best quality of life possible.
During this time Marie also cared for her father who had Alzheimer’s disease. Sadly her dad has since passed away.
Marie’s husband Aidan nominated her for the award.
“I am a lucky man to have this wonderful person as my wife,” he said.
Each year Family Carers Ireland recognise carers for the extraordinary hard work and dedication involved in caring for their loved ones every day, through these national awards.
Marie’s award was presented to her at a ceremony in the
Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan.
The national CarePlus ‘Carer of the Year’ awards will take place on November 23 in the Westin Hotel, Dublin. Broadcasters and patrons of the charity, Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan, will host the awards.
According to Central Statistics Office (CSO) Irish Health Survey, there are approximately 91,878 family carers in Dublin providing on average 45 hours of care per week in their homes.
Family carers across Ireland save the State a staggering € 10 billion each year. Today one in 10 people provide care for a loved one in the home – by 2030, demographic changes predict that one in five people will take on a caring role.
Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Carer Engagement with Family Carers Ireland, said they were delighted to recognise and celebrate carers in every county in Ireland for their trojan work.
“A huge congratulations to Marie,” said Ms Cox.
“Family Carers across Ireland make extraordinary sacrifices and work very hard, sometimes 24 hours a day, to provide care for their loved ones, safely, in their own homes.
“With limited access to services and particularly respite, Carers in North Dublin are overstretched and receive little acknowledgement for their unpaid work with three quarters receiving no payment from the State.”
This is the second year CarePlus Pharmacy have sponsored this event. For more information, visit www.familycarers.ie or www.careplus.ie