Kerry County Council is being called on to support calls to give family carers the financial help they need.
Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris made the call at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council.
She says family carers are among the most dependable and important people, and says they aren't paid adequately for the 24/7 care they provide.
Cllr Deirdre Ferris says there are 500,000 family carers across Ireland who work unpaid hours to care for and support their loved ones and she believes current financial support is nowhere near enough.
She's calling for eligibility criteria and the payments of the Carer's Allowance to be increased and for Carer's Benefit to be extended to the self-employed.
The Sinn Féin Cllr believes this would help family carers struggling with energy bills and it would guarantee other key financial supports for families.
Cllr Ferris says the State has continuously failed these people and says they are exhausted.
Cllr Deirdre Ferris says family carers do the work they do because they want to, but she believes they should be getting more support for the care they provide.
