National Carers Week 2025 Partners

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland

Web www.alzheimer.ie | Tel 01 207 3800 | National Helpline 1 800 341 341

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is the leading dementia specific service provider in Ireland.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland works across the country in the heart of local communities providing dementia specific services and supports and advocating for the rights and needs of all people living with dementia and their carers.

Our vision is an Ireland where no one goes through dementia alone and where policies and services respond appropriately to the person with dementia and their carers, at the times they need support.

A national non-profit organisation, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is person centred, rights-based and grassroots led with the voice of the person with dementia and their carer at its core.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland also operates the Alzheimer National Helpline offering information and support to anyone affected by dementia at 1800 341 341.

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland

Web www.abiireland.ie | Tel 01 280 4164

About Acquired Brain Injury Ireland

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Ireland is a dedicated provider of community-based neuro-rehabilitation services for people with an ABI and their families. As a brain injury can affect a person’s ability to control their own life and live independently, ABI Ireland works to empower and rebuild lives. ABI Ireland also campaigns, educates and advocates for the rights and needs of this hidden group in society.

Family Support Services

ABI Ireland recognises that an acquired brain injury doesn’t just impact the person – it impacts the whole family. We recognise that family members need help in order to be able to support their loved one. Family support services at ABI Ireland are delivered by Social Workers, Psychologists and Case Managers, and specifically through the On With Life Programme on an individual or group basis. The On With Life programme has three strands: for those caring for an adult living with an ABI; for parents and carers of under 18s; and for family members and carers seeking to return to employment, training or education.

Support takes many forms including:

• Counselling
• Peer support groups in person and online
• Holistic support and self-care
• Education and information sessions

Our mission

To passionately serve and empower people impacted by brain injury through personalised rehabilitation and relentless advocacy.

Care Alliance Ireland

Web www.carealliance.ie | Tel 01 874 7776

Care Alliance Ireland is the National Network of Voluntary Organisations supporting Family Carers.

Our vision is that the role of Family Carers is fully recognised and valued by society in Ireland.

We exist to enhance the quality of life for Family Carers.

There are over 500,000 Family Carers in the Republic of Ireland. Family Carer support is provided by a number of organisations, including those dedicated solely to carer support and others who support carers as part of their response to individuals with specific conditions. We work with our 90 member organisations and other agencies to support them in their work with Family Carers

What We Do

We organise National Carers Week annually in June.

We faciliate a professionally moderated Online Family Carer support group. Open to all family carers and using the private facebook group platform, this group has grown in reach and impact since its establishment in March 2020. You can join the group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FamilyCarerOnlineSupportGroupIreland/. 

With the support of Pobal and the Department of Social Protection, we coordinate a Return to Employment project for family carers. See www.carealliance.ie/Reemerge

We work with organisations to provide better information and supports to Family Carers. We provide them with opportunities to collaborate on initiatives including National Carers Week, a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary Family Carer Research Group, and joint policy submissions. We act as a distribution channel for information on Family Carer issues. We actively encourage collaboration in all our projects. We provide cohesion to those organisations working to support Family Carers. We commission relevant research that supports focussed and quality interventions in the lives of Family Carers. By focussing on these discrete functions (research, policy, information, and collaborative ventures) we enable more of our member’s funds to go directly to coal face services.

Disability Federation of Ireland

Web www.disability-federation.ie | Tel 01 454 7978

The Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) works to ensure that Irish society is fully inclusive of people with disabilities and disabling conditions so that they can exercise fully their civil, social and human rights. In pursuit of this vision, DFI acts as an advocate for the voluntary disability sector, and supports organisations to further enable people with disabilities.

DFI is the national support mechanism for voluntary organisations in Ireland, covering all areas of disability and disabling conditions (hidden, intellectual, mental health, physical, sensory and emotional disability). DFI represented and supported over one hundred and fifty voluntary disability organisations and groups of which seventy-two comprise the National Council, and thirty-one of which are Associate Members.

Irish Cancer Society

Web www.cancer.ie | Tel 01 231 0500 (Dublin) | Tel 021 484 0597 (Cork)

National Cancer Helpline Freefone 1800 200 700 (Mon-Thurs 9-7, Friday 9-5)

National Smokers' Quitline 1850 201 203 | Fundraising1850 60 60 60

The Irish Cancer Society is Ireland’s national cancer charity providing information, support and care to those with, and affected by, cancer all over Ireland. Our services are professional, confidential and free of charge. We are almost entirely funded through the generosity of the public and receive less than five per cent government funding.
The Irish Cancer Society is committed to providing much needed services to cancer patients and their families across the country, such as:

• Cancer Information Services
  • National Cancer Helpline 1800 200 700 staffed by specialist cancer nurses who can offer information and support
  • 13 Daffodil Centres in hospitals nationwide provide cancer information, support and advice in local hospitals with no appointment or referral necessary
  • Web-Chat and E-mail service
• Care to Drive - a free transport service which brings cancer patients attending chemotherapy treatment to and from hospital
• Survivors Supporting Survivors - the Irish Cancer Society’s one-to-one support programme, providing emotional and practical support to newly diagnosed patients.
• Financial Aid - a special fund for families facing financial hardship as a result of a cancer diagnosis
• Counselling – a counselling service through local cancer support centres for patients who require support dealing with the emotional effects of a cancer diagnosis
• Night Nursing Service – free palliative nursing care to cancer patients who are at the end of their cancer journey in their own homes
• Collaborative Cancer Research – supporting and funding leaders in cancer research so that people who get cancer in Ireland will have better access to new approaches to the diagnosis and management of their condition
• Advocacy – Representing people affected by cancer and ensuring that the people who shape cancer policy and provide cancer services in Ireland hear their & lobbying Government to introduce policy changes that reduce cancer risk
• Health Promotion – running national cancer awareness campaigns to help people understand and reduce their risk of developing cancer

The Irish Hospice Foundation

Web www.hospicefoundation.ie | Tel 01 679 3188

Irish Hospice Foundation is the national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. We are working to ensure the best end-of-life and bereavement care for all. From advocacy and education to our vital services like Nurses for Night Care, Caru – a continuous learning programme for care and compassion at end of life in nursing homes, our Bereavement Support Line and our Information and Support Line,we believe in the importance of dying well and grieving well wherever the place. Information and Support Line: Facing or caring for a friend or family member with a life-limiting illness can be both a challenging and uncertain time for anyone.

Our Information and Support Line is a confidential line that provides signposting, practical supports, and resources about end-of-life care, advance care planning and palliative care in Ireland. It is available on freephone 1800 60 70 66 from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday.

Resources for Carers: As part of an ongoing strategy to support carers of people with a life-limiting disease, we provide family carers with relevant information, advice and resources as they support their loved one in what is, for most, a challenging and emotional journey.

MS Ireland

Web www.ms-society.ie | Tel 01 678 1600 | MS Information Line 1850 233 233

Multiple Sclerosis Ireland’s mission is ‘to enable and empower people affected by MS to live the life of their choice to their fullest potential.’ We operate services in every county in Ireland.

Our teams of Regional Community Workers throughout the country provide individual and family support to help people address the challenges that MS may bring to a person and their family. A number of programmes, workshops and activities are also organised for groups such as those newly diagnosed, carers, children of parents with MS and healthcare professionals. Programmes include physical therapies, symptom management and information/education seminars.

Local services also include 37 voluntary Branches around the country, which offer peer support, social opportunities and financial support.

MS Ireland also operates The MS Care Centre, Ireland’s only respite and therapy centre for people with MS. It offers short-time respite care, therapeutic services, neurological assessments and many social activities in a homely environment in the suburbs of Dublin.

MS Ireland also runs a confidential information Line, open from Monday to Friday 10am– 2pm; a website; and provides a range of booklets and information sheets. MS Ireland also supports research and advocates on behalf of people with MS and their families.

Rare Ireland Family Support Network

Web www.rareireland.ie | Tel 089 422 0228

Rare Ireland is the only charity in Ireland supporting families living with rare conditions. We are a completely voluntary, parent run charity, currently representing almost 1700 rare families.

We aim to

1. Ease the isolation of families during and after the diagnostic process.
2. Provide a safe space for parents to receive support.
3. Help to provide the practical and financial support they need to live life as a rare parent.
4. Ease the financial burden, by providing subsidies towards Genetic Counselling appointments, Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and any other services our children and young people need to reach their potential.

The support from these services allows parents to focus on their families needs. We strive to be the voices of rare families in Ireland by advocating on their behalf, taking part in projects in the hope that they will improve care pathways and address the unmet needs of people living with rare disease.