AN ENNISKILLEN mother who suffers from a serious form of COPD has spoken out against disability services in Fermanagh after her highly autistic son was denied temporary respite care for the last ten years.
Caroline Diver is a full-time carer to her son Barney who has had severe health problems since the age of four. Treated for Battens Disease as a child, blood test results eventually showed Barney to not have the condition, however the treatment left him with damage to the left side of his brain.
“Barney is 36 years of age but is more like a three year old and needs everything done for him,” explained Caroline.
While spaces for respite care across the area has fallen since the outbreak of Covid-19 due to the limited number of spaces available as a result of social distancing, Caroline maintains that her 10 year battle for respite pre-dates the pandemic.
“I’m only looking for temporary respite which he is entitled to and I don’t think it’s fair the way he’s being treated. How can it be that in the space of ten years every respite facility is still full?”
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