Expert support on living with dementia given at awareness evening in county Tipperary town

Caption for photo above: Pictured at the Dementia Awareness Evening are seated centre: Guest speakers Gemma O’Donnell and Áine Kelly, South Tipperary Dementia Advisers with Alzheimer Society of Ireland; Shona O’Brien, Nurse Manager at Living Well With Dementia Service with Lions Club President Stephanie Keating on the far left and Lion Rosaleen Foley (far right). Back: Carrick Lions Club members Brian White, Angela Watson, Sandra Keyes, Sonia O’Connor, Ann Ellis, John McNamara, Shirley O’Shea and John Brett. 

A Dementia Awareness Evening organised by the Carrick-on-Suir & District Lions Club in association with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland took place in the Carraig Hotel in Carrick-on-Suir on March 5.

A large group of Lions Club members including President Stephanie Keating attended the hugely successful event to show their support as did Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Cllr Michael ‘Chicken’ Brennan.

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South Tipperary Dementia Advisers Gemma O’Donnell and Aine Kelly and Nurse Manager Shona O’Brien from the Living Well with Dementia Service at Le Cairde Day Care Centre in Clonmel were the guest speakers.

Their goal at the event was to share information, increase awareness about dementia, highlight the vital services and supports available locally and to reduce the stigma surrounding dementia.

Staff from South Tipperary Development ClG and Muintir na Tíre were available at the event to talk to people who came to hear the guest speakers.

The talks focused on the help and services available locally to people who have dementia and their families and advice was offered on how to live well with the disease. They services range from day care and activity groups to support groups and dementia/memory cafés, which all offer a stimulating and caring supportive environment.

The awareness evening was also addressed by Linda Fahy of the Tudor Artisan Hub about the hub’s memory related art project for the Bealtaine Festival in May.

Linda invites anyone interested in being involved with the project to contact her as she is planning to run workshops in advance.

After the talks and presentations, Dementia Advisors Gemma and Aine and Nurse Manager Shona gave people plenty of time to ask questions and stayed on afterwards to meet everyone as did the staff from the South Tipperary Development CIG and Muintir na Tíre.

Carrick-on-Suir Lions Club President Stephanie Keating sincerely thanked all the teams for participating and all the local people who ventured out on such a wet, cold stormy night to attend the awareness evening.

Carrick-on-Suir Memory Café

Carrick-on-Suir Memory Café takes place in Carrick Library on the third Tuesday of each month from 11am-12.30pm.

Refreshments, music and talks feature in these relaxing social meetings.

For information on the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and its work in your local area contact: 1800 341 341 or visit www.alzheimer.ie

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