Dementia Inclusive Community Event in Ratoath to mark World Alzheimer's Month
As World Alzheimer’s Month approaches in September, a Meath woman has described the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland (ASI) as a Lifeline.
Marie Carroll whose husband, Pat attends the ASI's Whistlement Day Centre, describes the organisation as a "lifeline” for their family and emphasises the importance of community support for those navigating life with dementia.
The organisation is holding a Dementia Inclusive Community Event in The Venue Theatre in Ratoath on 5th September.
The event is organised by Friends of ASI – in association with Ratoath Community Centre and The Venue Theatre and will take place at 7 pm on Thursday, 5th September . It aims to encourage people, businesses, and services in Ratoath to create a dementia-inclusive community. This is the first Friends of ASI Dementia Inclusive Community event to be held in Meath.
Marie says the ASI is truly a remarkable charity. "It has been a lifeline to our family since my husband Pat - father to our three adult children and grandfather to our two beautiful granddaughters - was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2020.
"With the help and support of The ASI, Pat has a happy and meaningful life. He is socially active through his bi-weekly trips to the Whistlemount Day Centre in Navan and his mornings with ASI carers, Patricia and Sean. The ASI has been an incredible support to my daughters and I too, providing us with guidance, reassurance and support as we navigate through the unknown path that Pat’s Alzheimer’s is taking us on.
"Through The ASI, our family has become part of a proactive and caring community that works hard to ensure that our loved ones who carry the burden of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia live happy, meaningful, accepted and fulfilling lives.”
Friends of ASI is a dementia-inclusive programme. It includes training, awareness, education, and services and aims to encourage people, businesses and services to create a more nurturing and accepting environment for people living with dementia and their families in their community. People living with dementia are among the most marginalised in our society and can often face social exclusion and stigma.
This initiative is working alongside the HSE’s Dementia: Understand Together campaign. Dementia: Understand Together, a national partnership between The ASI, HSE, Age Friendly Ireland, Age & Opportunity, Dementia Services Information and Development Centre and Healthy Ireland. It encourages community members and people living with dementia to make their communities more dementia-inclusive.
Head of Operations and Community Engagement at The ASI, Siobhan O’Connor, said: "The Alzheimer Society of Ireland provides much-needed services for people living with dementia and their families in Co Meath; our dedication to supporting those affected by dementia remains as we bring our Friends of ASI initiative to Ratoath. By working together, we can achieve great things, and we have no doubt that Ratoath will embrace a community of inclusivity where people with dementia feel respected, understood and valued.”
CEO of Ratoath Community Centre and The Venue Theatre, Laura Murphy said: "I have seen firsthand the benefits The Alzheimer Society of Ireland services bring to those impacted by the condition in Ratoath - services such as our monthly Alzheimer's Social Club. Our aim is to enrich and enhance the quality of life for people with dementia and their families; socially inclusive events like this play a key role in increasing awareness and understanding of the condition, helping to create a more supportive and welcoming community for those living with the condition. We encourage everyone to join us at the community event on 5th September.”
This event follows the successful launch of similar events in several counties across Ireland. In November 2023, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland celebrated the launch of Mahon Point Shopping Centre as the first dementia-inclusive shopping centre in the country.