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Liveline

"That wouldn't get the elderly up out of bed"

29 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 13.598 Kieran

Or you can email LiveLine at rte.ie and Theresa Byrne is on the line.

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Chapter 2: What recent government measures were announced for fuel support?

13.658 - 21.533 Kieran

Theresa, we had news today from the government of their fuel support scheme. Is it going to help you?

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22.829 - 34.451 Theresa Byrne

Definitely not. No, definitely not. You know what? The carers and the nurses were totally left out with the government, per usual.

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Chapter 3: How do carers feel about the government's fuel support scheme?

36.916 - 66.01 Theresa Byrne

Like, for what they have done... to the carers. They should hang their heads in shame, the lot of them. The carers are on the ground there 24-7 helping all of the elderly, which I presume some of them could possibly be their offsprings, helping them out at every beck and call and yet we were neglected and let go by the wayside as if our jobs meant nothing to no one. Disgusting.

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Chapter 4: What challenges do carers face with rising travel costs?

67.75 - 70.333 Kieran

Tell me a little bit then, Teresa, about your situation.

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72.256 - 104.173 Theresa Byrne

Right. The situation is I work for Wicklow Community Care and, as you know, we go from house to house. Now, for the mileage that we would be allowed, it covers nothing. It literally covers little or nothing. But to say that the price of the petrol and diesel went up And we still had to get to our clients and still had to provide that service regardless.

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104.193 - 120.271 Theresa Byrne

We couldn't say that, oh no, sorry, like it was only the haulage and all of that, the farmers that was given. We couldn't say that. That wouldn't get any of the elderly up out of bed. That wouldn't help them get their breakfast or their dinners or anything.

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Chapter 5: How does the fuel allowance affect carers' financial situations?

120.932 - 124.996 Theresa Byrne

Like it was absolutely fuming, fuming to watch it.

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126.398 - 136.093 Kieran

So, It's costing you more and more money then to go and visit all of your patients or clients. That's the long and the short of it.

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137.215 - 157.502 Theresa Byrne

Of course. And, like, it's not just that. It's the fact, like, right, the prices went up. We're going into the elderly, OK? Yeah. Both myself and some of my colleagues have came across, some of the elderly are afraid to put on their lights at night because of the prices of the electricity.

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Chapter 6: What are the implications of rising living costs for the elderly?

157.522 - 185.678 Theresa Byrne

They're afraid to put on their feet because the prices of the oil and all of that. That's disgraceful in this day and age, our elderly people having to suffer like that. And when you think of it, you just consider it and think back. Our fathers and our grandfathers, they made sacrifices in this world so we'd have a better life. But we're not. We've got a worse life than they've had in a way.

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185.698 - 187.019 Kieran

Do you think so?

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188.341 - 214.063 Theresa Byrne

Yes, definitely. Definitely we do. Look at the prices, the prices of living. I mean, everything seems to be going up, going up. You turn around the corner and, oh, that's gone up. But our income isn't going up. You know, and as for, I mean, the protests, the protests. You know what?

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Chapter 7: How do carers perceive the government's response to their needs?

214.143 - 240.113 Theresa Byrne

I admire the Irish people for what they've done. Absolutely so proud to be Irish. They've done right. When the government does not listen to their people, they had no other choice but to make them listen. And even after they didn't bother listening, they just smirked it off. Just smirked it off and they give you this measly little promise.

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240.133 - 245.093 Theresa Byrne

It's like they're feeding you crumbs from their table and we've all to run and get a crumb.

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245.917 - 263.4 Kieran

And what then, Theresa, would you say if there's a government minister here, what they'd say is, you know, this is a huge package. It's kind of three quarters of a billion euro. There'll be more supports probably in the winter when things really bite. We've got to keep money for that. And there is no there is no magic money tree.

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263.42 - 266.845 Kieran

You know, if we spend money on this, we have to take it from somewhere else.

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267.432 - 285.37 Theresa Byrne

Well, there would have been money in the magic money tree. If they hadn't have sent it abroad, they could have housed some of our homeless. They could have done an awful lot for Ireland with the money that they squandered. And it was definitely squandered.

Chapter 8: What solutions do carers suggest for their financial struggles?

285.69 - 310.458 Theresa Byrne

And they're talking about we're going to be the richest in Europe. No, it won't. Not when that bloc gets their hands on it. Because I tell you, the normal people of Ireland, the working class people, will not benefit, not one bit. There was nurses, nurses going to work. You have nurses... travelling there from, we say, Westford up to St. Vincent's.

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310.478 - 333.923 Theresa Byrne

Can you imagine the petrol that they would be using, let alone the time and effort waiting to get to work? And they were neglected, but yet they were still meant to get there and provide a service for people. But yet, that's not up in the dog. They get their expenses going abroad on their trips to St. Patrick's. Oh my God.

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334.814 - 343.804 Kieran

I guess the difference would be their work trips, whereas commuting to work... They are. They are. I don't know who it worked for.

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343.845 - 346.948 Theresa Byrne

It didn't work much for us working people.

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348.57 - 368.694 Kieran

They would say maybe those trips abroad, what they do is they're a projection of our soft power around St. Patrick's Day and... You know, they're part of the reason that so many kind of foreign companies are happy to set up shop in here and pay their taxes here. And those taxes, I mean, if those taxes didn't exist, there'd be no money for any of these services.

369.755 - 380.97 Theresa Byrne

But should there be little or no tourists coming into Ireland because there is no hotels for them? There is nothing here in Ireland for them. They've destroyed Ireland.

381.406 - 388.879 Kieran

That's just factually wrong, Teresa. Not to pick a fight. The tourist numbers are huge into Ireland.

390.703 - 393.688 Theresa Byrne

Well, I haven't seen many of them, to be honest, Richard.

393.708 - 414.393 Kieran

Yeah, they're everywhere. Like I said, where I live, I live in a real tourist town. They're everywhere. They're all over the big cities. There's parts of Ireland... That are bereft of tourists and there's definitely communities that lost out in maybe their only hotel and they've really suffered. We had one hotel here in Micklow. Tourist numbers are huge. No, we don't. Huge.

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