Seven steps to a dementia inclusive Mullingar

More than 90 people attended an event organised by the (ASI) Friends of ASI at Mullingar’s Annebrook House Hotel on February 27. Through short talks and videos, the event raised awareness of dementia and encouraged attendees to volunteer to help make their town more accessible. The event marked the beginning of a dementia-inclusive community. Reporting by Ciara O'Hara

Dementia impact

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of conditions which cause changes and damage to the brain, including Alzheimer’s disease. Every day in Ireland, 30 people are told they have dementia. An estimated 1,154 people live with the condition in Westmeath.

At the event, Donal Murphy, ASI project manager, discussed how dementia affects those diagnosed, and those close to them. “For one person diagnosed, three close family members are directly affected. So their lives change as well. So it’s important that whatever we do in this community, it obviously focuses on the person with dementia, but also on their family and friends,” said Donal.

Social issue

On the night, Catherine O’Leary, national community engagement manager with the ASI, stressed that “dementia is not simply a health issue but a social issue that requires a community response”.

Catherine explained a dementia-inclusive community: “It is one in which people living with dementia and their families fully participate in society and have a place in it. It is one in which they enjoy respect, freedom, dignity, equality, accessibility and quality of life. It is one in which they are empowered to live independently, free from stigma, discrimination, exploitation, violence and abuse. It is one in which they feel included and involved and have a choice and control over their own lives.”

Getting involved

When outlining the seven steps needed to make Mullingar a dementia-inclusive community, Catherine stressed the importance of gathering “a group together of people who care.” She told attendees she was “absolutely thrilled” with the turnout at the event: “It’s just so amazing to see so many people that care so much.”

“Who can be a friend of ASI? The list is endless. It can be anybody. It’s community services, it can be Neighbourhood Watch, the Tidy Towns, the GAA, the ICA, Macra na Feirme. It can be any sort of group whatsoever, a tennis group, a sports club, whatever. Public services then… we have a specific programme that we can give you to roll out in your local schools. And it can be libraries, post offices, An Garda Síochána, local political representatives… PPNs, groups like that. And then it can be private sector, chamber of commerce, financial institutions, nursing homes. But most of all, who can be a friend of ASI is anybody that cares enough.”

Seven steps

Catherine went on to outline the various steps required to make a community dementia-inclusive. Step one is to gather a group of volunteers. Step two is to agree on key people who will act as leaders. Step three is to raise awareness within the community. Step four is to involve people living with dementia, including their carers. Step five is to “tell the world” about the work you are doing and. Step six is to identify the areas for local action and step seven is to monitor your progress.

Fully supported

Catherine emphasised that volunteers will be fully supported by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland at all times. “We are here long term to work with you on this programme. There have been other programmes previously whereby a company might go in and then do a few activities. It might die a death and then they walk away. That’s not happening here. We are going to work with you to develop your plans, to help you achieve what you want to achieve within the area.”

Outside help

Guest speaker and Mullingar man Declan Power shared how both dementia and having a supportive community have affected his family. Declan’s father Tony has been living with the condition for several years. Declan spoke about the “positive lessons” he has learned and the importance of restoring his father’s “sense of his sociability”.

He mentioned the benefits of making changes to the daily routine and having more opportunities to socialise. Declan also highlighted the importance of having “outside help”.

“The difference of having people who know what they’re doing coming in means that you go back to being the son or the wife or the brother or sister, not the professional carer. Going outside the family to get assistance, having a combined approach, if possible, it’s a game changer. Everybody wins.

“And it gives you your life back. And fundamentally, it gives them a quality of life as well,” said Declan. “We know the realities of this disease and situation. But I’ll say one thing, I don’t think we feel beaten by it. I think that’s a key thing to remember. It doesn’t have to beat you down into the gutter, because the supports are there.”

Creating safe havens

Declan discussed how his family have benefited from taking Tony to the day care centre at St Mary’s Nursing Home, and to local restaurants and pubs where the staff and customers are aware of Tony’s condition and treat him with compassion. Declan advocated for creating more “safe havens” like those locally for people living with dementia.

He said that “Mullingar is an excellent community for this” and talked about how helpful friends, neighbours and even the gardaí have been, as the family navigate the various challenges brought by dementia. “Our neighbours in Hillside Drive, friends around us, they go the distance to try and be helpful. Having a broader awareness of this in the community, only good can come of it… we’re on the cusp of something that can only improve things,” said Declan.

Community

Siobhan O’Connor, head of operations and community engagement, ASI, thanked Deputy Robert Troy for “banging the drum inside in the Oireachtas” to bring Alzheimer’s services to Westmeath. She described how Mahon Point in Cork recently became Ireland’s first dementia-inclusive shopping centre. “All staff are trained, we trained them – so when someone comes in to shop, they now have that ability to communicate properly with them. And I think that’s what we need to do in every community.”

“We have good services here [in Mullingar], but we can always do better, and there’s always room for more and we can always expand. So what we’re trying to do is bring the services to people and get the community to help us do it. Because the more volunteers we have, the more services we can deliver. We’re all about developing experiences… it takes a community response to make it all happen,” said Siobhan.

Positive change

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Deputy Troy said he was “happy to work with the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland firstly to bring about a daycare centre in Multyfarnham”.

“It’s great to see that daycare centre up and operational. It’s open three days a week, providing a huge service to the people who use it, and great respite to the families of the service users,” said Deputy Troy.

“It really was great to see such a large crowd on Tuesday night, almost 100 people gathered into a room at the Annebrook Hotel, and indeed I must have received a dozen further messages of people apologising that they couldn’t be there and wanting to get involved.

“So I’m looking forward to being part of that committee to work with the various sectors of our society, the commercial interests, the retail interests, the community interest, educational partners, to see how we can create a much better awareness of dementia so that when people who suffer from dementia are out and about in our town that they get the best possible experience. So it’s really positive to see this happening, and I look forward to working on this project in the months and years ahead,” he added.

What’s next

Once they have a group of volunteers, the ASI and the Friends of ASI will start to develop the action plan. Anyone who would like to express an interest in getting involved or who would like to learn more about making Mullingar more dementia-inclusive, can contact friendsofasi@alzheimer.ie.