Caring for the elderly at home

I refer to your front page report 'Scores of patients 'should not be' at Mater Dei' (The Sunday Times, April 13).

The authorities have to realise that while it is true that some people seek the easy way out rather than face their responsibilities, and choose to leave their parent/s in a state institution, others simply have no alternative but to take this heart-breaking step.

Speaking for myself, were it not for the fact that my former employer granted me early retirement on very generous terms, it would have been humanly and financially impossible for me to continue to take care of my elderly mother, and I would have had to shift the burden onto the state, as private home care is prohibitively expensive. Believe me, it is a 24/7 job and my hands are more than full.

I believe the state has to offer some incentive to enable one to temporarily opt out of the workforce to look after their elderly parents. Your report mentions the fact that the social cases cost the state €256 a night, and therefore since social cases are such a financial burden on state coffers anyway, it might as well offer such an incentive.

At the very least, national insurance contributions can be credited as is the case with parents who take paternity leave.

I am making this suggestion out of self-interest, but in my small circle of acquaintances I know of a few cases similar to mine, and therefore there must be more people out there who are in a similar predicament.

I therefore ask the authorities to seriously consider using the financial carrot rather that the stick to solve the problem of social cases at state hospitals.