Data from the Social Security Institute (ISS), presented during a meeting on informal caregivers organised by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, show that among the 18,149 caregivers with recognised status as of October 6, 13,119 (72.2%) had a specific intervention plan (PIE) and 12,221 (67.3%) had an overburden assessment.

Of the more than 12,000 caregivers assessed, more than half were overburdened, with 34.1% experiencing intense overburden and 26.4% experiencing mild overburden. In contrast, 39.5% said they did not feel overwhelmed.

However, only 4.3% of caregivers with a specific intervention plan benefited from caregiver respite, while 19.6% received psychosocial support.

According to the director of the Social Intervention Unit of the ISS Department of Social Development, "although caregiver respite is a highly sought-after measure, for obvious reasons, it has very little applicability."

"This is largely due to the fact that we have few social responses and that it has not yet been legislated. I hope that the legislation that will create the caregiver grant will be enacted later this year, and that this will create a new 'boost' in terms of responsiveness to caregiver respite," stated Susana Viana.

Viana added that among the 13,119 caregivers with a specific intervention plan, the majority already have a professional referral, both in the health and social security sectors, with percentages exceeding 90%.

Carer profiles

Regarding the profile of informal caregivers, "not surprisingly," the data presented shows that the majority of caregivers are women (84%) and that the average age is 57. In 37.35% of cases, these individuals care for their father or mother, while 31.55% care for a child and 11.74% for their husband or wife.

Almost all (96%) caregivers care for one person, but the ISS is aware of one case in which a female caregiver is responsible for caring for 10 people, including siblings and parents.

The head of the ISS argued that the Informal Caregiver Statute recognised the role of caregivers and their importance in society and highlighted the need to care for these individuals.

"Not only for reasons of dignity and human rights, but also because, in fact, if we don't take this precaution and care for caregivers, their ability to care for themselves will quickly diminish and they will eventually experience complete burnout, with all that this can entail, both for themselves and for the person or people they care for," Susana Viana noted.

She also argued that the measure aims to ensure responses that prevent institutionalization of those being cared for and encourage them to remain at home whenever possible and if they wish.