There are currently 18,619 family carers across Donegal providing round-the-clock care for loved ones who are ill, elderly or have additional needs.
According to Family Carers Ireland (FCI), they are often unpaid, unseen and exhausted, and hold their families together under immense pressure and isolation.
“They form the backbone of our communities and our health services – yet many are struggling in silence,” said Patricia Blee, the charity’s Community Support Manager in Donegal.
To recognise and support them, FCI is urging the public to buy a Heart of Gold pin (€2). The campaign runs throughout June, culminating in Heart of Gold Day on Thursday, 12th June, during National Carers Week.
Each €2 gold heart sold helps towards funding essential services for family carers, including respite breaks, counselling, the National Freephone Careline, local drop-in centres, peer support groups, and training. These are not just services – they are lifelines that help family carers cope with the daily realities of their role.
“Caring doesn’t stop – it doesn’t clock off at 5pm,” Ms Blee added.
“In every town and parish in Donegal, someone is quietly providing full-time care with little or no support. We regularly see family carers pushed to breaking point – financially strained, emotionally drained and completely isolated. Buying a gold heart might seem like a small gesture, but it’s genuinely meaningful. €2 won’t fix everything, but it can help towards providing the respite, counselling or urgent support a family carer desperately needs.”
Gold hearts are available in all 186 Lidl stores nationwide during the month of June.
To learn more, donate, or access support, visit: https://www.familycarers.ie/
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