Family Caregiving
Supporting an Older Person With Poor Appetite
Caring ways to help an older relative eat and drink more, with a food and fluid chart, small meals and a weight check log.
€14.99Buy
Courses for family carers, and for looking after yourself too
Help for family carers: plan care with the rest of the family, support someone who is eating less, and keep your own health and energy in view.
- 3 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
If you look after a family member, partner or friend who could not manage without your help, you are a carer, even if you have never used the word. Caring often starts gradually, with lifts to appointments or help with shopping, and grows until it shapes your week.
Practical and financial supports exist in Ireland. The Department of Social Protection pays Carer's Allowance, which is means-tested, to people providing full-time care, and Carer's Benefit, for up to 104 weeks, to people who leave work to care. The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment that is not means-tested, for people caring for at least 6 months of the year. Carers can work or study for up to 18.5 hours a week and keep these payments, and employees can take unpaid carer's leave of 13 to 104 weeks. Citizens Information explains the rules, and Family Carers Ireland supports carers across the country.
Our caregiving courses focus on the practical side: writing a family care plan with a rota and key contacts, helping an older person who has lost their appetite, and noticing when caring is wearing you down. They sit alongside advice from the GP, the public health nurse and HSE services such as home support and respite care rather than replacing it.
All family caregiving courses
Family Caregiving
Managing Carer Stress
For family carers running on empty: track the pressure, plan real breaks, map your support and build a self-care plan that fits.
€17.99Buy
Family Caregiving
Building a Family Care Plan
One clear plan for caring as a family: who does what and when, key contacts, an emergency sheet and pointers to Irish carer supports.
€17.99Buy
Choosing a carer course
- Building a Family Care Plan: one shared plan with roles, a rota, key contacts and an emergency information sheet.
- Supporting an Older Person With Poor Appetite: small meals, a food and fluid chart and when to involve the GP.
- Managing Carer Stress: a stress tracker, respite planner and support map for you.
Just starting to support a parent? Supporting an Ageing Parent, in the healthy ageing topic, covers the first conversations and care options.
What the caregiving tools do
- Family care plan and roles and rota planner: who does what and when, in one document everyone can see.
- Key contacts and emergency information sheets: GP, pharmacy, medicines list and next of kin, ready for a hospital visit or a stand-in carer.
- Food and fluid chart and weight check log: a few days of records give the GP a clear picture.
- Respite planner: plan breaks before you reach breaking point.
- Carer stress tracker and support map: notice the warning signs and list who you can call on.
When to get help
Contact the GP of the person you care for if they:
- are losing weight, eating or drinking much less, or seem dehydrated (dark pee, dizziness, confusion)
- cough or choke when eating or drinking
- become more confused, drowsy or unwell than usual
For sudden confusion, a fall with a head injury or difficulty breathing, call 112 or 999. For your own sake, if you feel exhausted, low or unable to carry on, talk to your own GP, ask about respite and home support, and call Samaritans free on 116 123 if you need to talk to someone now.
Family caregiving courses: your questions
Am I a carer if I do not live with the person?
Yes. Caring from a distance, by phone, regular visits or managing appointments and money, still counts.
What payments are there for carers in Ireland?
The main ones are Carer's Allowance, which is means-tested, Carer's Benefit for people who leave work to care, and the annual Carer's Support Grant, which is not means-tested. Domiciliary Care Allowance is paid for a child under 16 with a severe disability. Citizens Information has the current rules and how to apply.
Can I keep working while I care?
Many carers do. You can work or study for up to 18.5 hours a week and keep Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit if you meet the other conditions, and employees can take unpaid carer's leave of between 13 and 104 weeks.
Where can I get a break?
Ask the GP or public health nurse about respite care and HSE home support for people over 65. Family Carers Ireland can also tell you about support near you.
Do the courses cover dementia care?
They give general caregiving skills that apply to many situations, including dementia, but they are not specialist dementia training. The GP can refer you to more specific services.
Can the whole family use the care plan?
Yes. The plan, rota and contact sheets download as PDFs, so you can share them by email or print a copy for the fridge.
Official sources
Share the load with a plan
Start the family care plan this week and send the rota to everyone who helps.