August Newsletter

Welcome to the August Newsletter from Engaging Dementia

Sr. Mary Threadgold, RIP

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our founder, Sr. Mary Threadgold.

Sr. Mary was a visionary nun and Speech and Language Therapist whose pioneering work transformed the lives of thousands of people living with dementia in Ireland and beyond through the creation of the Sonas Programme.

A member of the Religious Sisters of Charity, Sr. Mary devoted her life to improving the quality of life of older people, particularly those living with dementia. At a time when dementia care was often centred solely on physical needs, she recognised that people continued to have emotional, social and spiritual needs that deserved equal attention.

You can read our full tribute to Sr. Mary here:

Sr. Mary Threadgold RIP | Engaging Dementia

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, 22nd August, at 11.00 am in St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Parish Church, Sandymount , followed by burial in the community cemetery, Donnybrook. The Mass may be viewed live from this link: https://mcn.live/Camera/st-marys-star-of-the-sea-sandymount

Upcoming Courses

We have a number of courses coming up this Autumn & Winter:

Creating Meaningful Activities on a Budget -

A Guide for Activities Coordinators: Online, Thurs Sept 24th & Fri Nov 27th

Click here for details: Activities Coordinator Course for Dementia | Engaging Dementia

Sonas Programme: Dublin Sept 18th, Cork Oct 9th, Galway Oct 16th

Click here for details: The Sonas Programme | Engaging Dementia

Sonas License Renewal: Online, Sept 25th

Click here for details: Sonas Licence Renewal Day | Engaging Dementia

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy: Online, Sept 15th

Click here for details: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Course Dementia | Engaging Dementia

For more information email admin@engagingdementia.ie or call 012608138.

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We say Farewell to Shri

Message from Kim Tully, Engaging Dementia CEO:

“I just wanted to take a moment to say goodbye to Shri Hadimani, who is leaving us on Friday August 21st, and to thank him for all his hard work and contribution during the last seven years with Engaging Dementia. It has been a pleasure working together, and the whole team at Engaging Dementia wishes Shri every success and happiness in his next role. Many of you will have had contact with Shri during the last years.

I am delighted to welcome Hudson Coelho to the team, to take over the role as Accounts Administrator. We’re very pleased to have Hudson join us and you can reach him under the same email Admin@EngagingDementia.ie if you have any questions or need support.”

Story to Remember

WANTED: Volunteers to be trained to lead interactive, creative sessions for people living with dementia and their family carers.

These Free Online Workshops are aimed at professionals, social workers, and Dementia Cafe coordinators who are interested in exploring creative, person-centred approaches to working with people with dementia. You don’t have to be a creative person or have a background in creative arts to participate.

The Online Workshops take place from 10am and 1pm on:

-Friday Nov 3rd

-Friday Nov 13th

-Friday Nov 20th

If you are interested, email admin@engagingdementia.ie or

call 012608138.

Participants are required to attend all three sessions, as each session builds on the knowledge and learning from the previous one.

New Dementia Cafes

Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow

There is a new Dementia Cafe taking place on the 2nd Friday of every month in the Leighlinbridge Parish Centre, Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow from 11am until 12.30pm.

Contact: leighlindementiacommunity@gmail.com or Margaret on 0879574606 for further info.

Shannon, Co. Clare

There is a new Dementia Cafe taking place in the Shannon Family Resource Centre, Shannon, Co. Clare.

The dates for the remainder of the year are: Monday 14th September, Monday 5th October, Monday 2nd November and Monday 7th December.

Contact: hilary.oneill@alzheimer.ie or call 0863629790.

You can find details for all the Irish Dementia Cafe Network here: https://dementiacafe.ie/

Intergenerational Programmes inclusive of people living with

dementia

Researchers from University of Galway would like to speak with you if you have organised or taken part in Intergenerational Programmes inclusive of people living with dementia.

They want to learn about people’s experiences of taking part in these kinds of programmes, as part of a research project to better understand the benefits of Intergenerational Programmes.

They would like to speak with:

• People living with dementia

• Young people

• Families and carers

• Healthcare staff

• Teaching/youthwork staff

If you are interested, please contact: owen.harney@universityofgalway.ie

Have Your Say on Dementia Care in Ireland

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱: 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱.

Ramie is a PhD candidate at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, based in Dublin. Her research is building Ireland’s first open-source health economic model for dementia.

A key part of the project is ensuring that the model accurately reflects the lived experiences, priorities, and preferences of people living with dementia and their families. They will have our first workshop on 2 September at RCSI.

The model is designed to inform how Ireland funds and allocates resources for dementia care while better reflecting the lived experiences of people affected by dementia and their families. A core part of the project is Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). Ramie works directly with people affected by dementia and their family carers to ensure that their lived experiences and perspectives are meaningfully reflected in the research.

If you are interested, please contact: dementiaproject@rcsi or call 0874061451

Review of Disability Act 2005

Engaging Dementia welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the review of the Disability Act 2005.

For over 35 years, Engaging Dementia has worked to improve the lives of people living with dementia through education, training, evidence-based programmes, professional development and community initiatives. We work with people living with dementia, family carers, healthcare professionals, community organisations and policymakers across Ireland. This experience gives us a unique insight into the barriers that people living with dementia continue to face in exercising their rights and participating fully in society.

We strongly believe that the revised Disability Act should explicitly recognise dementia as a disability and ensure that the rights of people living with dementia are protected in line with Ireland’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

To make a submission email:

disabilityactreview@dcde.gov.ie or click here:

Consultation_on_Disability_Act_Response_Template_-_Editable_PDF_Format_-_EN.pdf

View all of our YouTube Videos, including the video presenatations from the 18th International Dementia Conference, by clicking here.