Last week, on Thursday 19th February, MEP for Galway Nina Carberry hosted a Dementia Care Information Night in the Lough Rea Hotel, together with Niamh Madden, Chairperson of the South-East Galway Fine Gael Branch.
The event brought together families, carers, and local service providers for an important evening of awareness raising, information sharing, and firsthand experiences of people living with dementia.
Designed as a ‘one stop space’ where people could learn about locally available dementia supports, the event had strong attendance from across the county.
Opening the event, MEP Carberry said that dementia is something very close to her own heart.
“My father had dementia, my granny lived with Alzheimer’s and my mother was recently diagnosed. Going through this with my own family, I have experienced the difficulty in finding the most suitable supports, the research and emotional energy it takes. Bringing everyone together in one space felt like an important step to help others,” Carberry said.
The Galway representative said that creating safe spaces where people can have open conversations about dementia is something she wants to promote in her work as an MEP.
The evening featured two panel discussions, firstly with Carol Molloy from the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, Mary Murphy and Jane Riordan from Western Alzheimer’s, and Marie Nolan from Age Friendly Ireland.
Speaking of grassroots initiatives, MEP Carberry acknowledged the many supports already making a real difference across the country. However, she emphasised the need to promote person-centred care across all services and supports, recognising that dementia takes many different forms and affects each individual differently.
The second panel featured Carmel Geoghegan and Helen Rochford-Brennan, who spoke about the importance of advocacy at both local and European level. Drawing on their involvement with Alzheimer Europe, they highlighted their work campaigning for better supports and services for people living with dementia and their families.
Ms Geoghegan outlined how EU funding has made a real difference to dementia services in rural Ireland, where isolation and limited access to supports can be significant challenges. She pointed to Connemara Care CLG as an example of how LEADER-backed EU funding has helped sustain vital community-based services - a critical funding programme that MEP Carberry has been particularly committed to protecting at European level.
