The President of the Republic unveiled this Thursday the diploma of informal caregivers, despite the fact that he considers that it “does not meet expectations” because it does not include “neighbors who care for other neighbors.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza promulgated a decree-law amending the Statute of Informal Caregivers, believing that it brings improvements, and was unanimously approved in Parliament, but with the exception that the diploma turns out to be “below what secondary caregivers expect, informal caregivers because it does not cover, for example, the usual situation of neighbors looking after other neighbors.”
This is the first change to the informal carer status and now extends the status to people who, without a family connection to the person they are caring for, live in their home and provide care on a regular but not permanent basis.
The new diploma also provides that parents with shared custody may be considered secondary informal caregivers.
An informal carer receiving unemployment benefits is now treated the same as an informal carer who is engaged in a paid profession.
In 2019, the Informal Carer Status was adopted, regulating the rights and responsibilities of the carer and the person being cared for, and establishing appropriate support measures.
The diploma stipulates that only the primary informal carer can request support benefits, but other support measures are available, such as carer respite, a special intervention plan, self-help groups or psychosocial support.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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