07 December 2020
Go to release: Irish Health Survey 2019 - Carers and Social Supports
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (07 December 2020) published the results of the Carers and Social Supports aspects of the Irish Health Survey 2019.
Commenting on the publication, Keith McSweeney Senior Statistician, said:
‘The publication today is based on self-reported data from persons aged 15 years and over and was collected as part of the main data collection for the Irish Health Survey. Today’s publication is the first in a series of three publications based on the Irish Health Survey conducted by the CSO. On Friday 11 December, the CSO will publish the Main Results and on Monday 14 December, another publication will focus on the health status of persons with disabilities. The data collection for all three publications ran from July 2019 to February 2020, and so covers the pre-pandemic health experience.
Around one in eight persons aged 15 years and over report they provide caring to another person (excluding professional activities), and more females are carers than males. Carers are more likely than non-carers to report some form of depression, with 19% of carers reporting some form of depression compared to 13% of non-carers.
In the event of a serious problem, around 80% of persons aged 15 years and over report they have three or more persons they can rely on, while around 90% feel that others show some or a lot of interest in what they are doing. Around three-quarters of persons aged 15 years and over find it easy or very easy to get practical help from a neighbour.
Respondents aged 65 years and over were also asked a series of questions relating to the difficulty they experience in performing personal care or household activities. Almost 40% of persons aged 65 years and over report some difficulties with performing heavy housework, while around 90% report no difficulty in managing their medication.’
The CSO thanks the respondents to this survey, without whom this publication would not be possible.
The Irish Health Survey 2019 achieved a sample size of circa. 7,600 individuals, and this Carers and Social Supports publication is based on a subset of data from this main data collection. Due to public health guidelines regarding COVID-19, our interviewers no longer conduct CSO household surveys in the sampled households' own homes. Sample households now receive introductory letters by post asking them to ring the CSO to schedule an interview which is conducted over the phone. These surveys give us a picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland, with a level of accuracy no one else can gain. If you are asked to take part in a CSO survey, please do so. It means that when CSO figures are quoted you know they’re accurate, Because you told us.
Keith McSweeney (+353) 21 453 5423 or Caroline Barrett (+353) 21 453 5485
or email Health@cso.ie
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