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New drive to strengthen awareness of ‘adult safeguarding’
The research was launched for Ireland’s first-ever Adult Safeguarding Day – a new nationwide initiative, coordinated by Safeguarding Ireland, to raise better understanding of safeguarding and the prevention of adult abuse. A survey of a representative sample of 1,000 adults found that 67per cent of people recognised ‘safeguarding from adult abuse’ as something they had an awareness of, however when provided with an explanation just 34% said they had correctly understood what it means.
The survey found that people were inclined to see safeguarding as ‘procedural tasks’ related to security at care facilities, inspection and audit of services, or maintaining records and files.
Safeguarding Ireland Chairperson Patricia Rickard-Clarke said: ‘Safeguarding means putting measures in place to uphold our rights, to support our health and wellbeing and to reduce the risk of harm. It involves ourselves, our families, services and professionals all working together to prevent adult abuse, neglect, or coercive control.
‘Safeguarding also means empowerment – that if we face challenges with our capacity, our voices are heard and included. It also means that we plan ahead so that if, at a future date, we need help from others that there is clarity on our wishes – and that these will be respected.”
Safeguarding Ireland Chairperson, Patricia Rickard-Clarke and the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee launch Ireland’s first-ever Adult Safeguarding Day information event.
Two thirds of people are aware of ‘adult safeguarding’, but just a third correctly understand what it means – according to new RED C research . Information is available at www.safeguardingday.ie
Home Plus, Ireland’s home equity release specialist, has announced that Dogs for the Disabled has been selected as one of the company’s charity partners for 2021/2022. Dogs for the Disabled, aims to improve the lives of children and adults living with disabilities in Ireland.
As part of the agreement, Home Plus will work with Dogs for the Disabled to provide further support to individuals across Ireland living independently in the community. The partnership reflects the company’s commitment to support over 55’s to remain in their homes in retirement. This announcement coincides with the launch of a new community canine therapy support programme for older people based in County Waterford. The initiative is being rolled out by the charity with the allocation of another therapy support dog to the Waterford Mental Health Association in partnership with the Adult Mental Health Services, HSE.
Lillie, a golden Labrador from Dogs for the Disabled, will support Niall Condon, Senior Occupational Therapist with the Psychiatry of later life team in Waterford in his work with older people in the community. Therapy dogs are bred for their intelligence and sociability and it is these qualities that will be of key importance in the development of Lillie’s supportive therapeutic role in the community with the Psychiatry of later life team in Waterford.
A co-ordinated national strategy is vital to confronting the chronic condition, said consultant Colin Hawkes. Ireland is ‘very far from where it should be’ in the treatment of children with Type 1 diabetes, an expert in the disease has claimed. A co-ordinated national strategy is vital to confronting the chronic condition, said consultant Colin Hawkes ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14th
He and the team at Cork University Hospital treats almost 500 children with Type 1 diabetes, but insufficient resources mean it is not possible to see children every three months, as recommended – with some waiting six-eight months between appointments.
‘We are also totally unequipped to address the psychological burden of this disease,’said Dr Hawkes, a paediatric endocrinologist at CUH. ‘In CUH alone, we have an exceptional team but we should have six diabetes nurses for the number of children we care for and we only have three. We have submitted a business case requesting three more. It is extremely difficult to provide the care these children deserve at such low staffing levels. Possible signs of diabetes in children include increased thirst, frequent urination, bed wetting, reduced energy, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger. The burden type 1 diabetes places on the child, he says, is huge, and can cause rates of depression as high as 20% in children. Dr Hawkes warns that diabetes becomes a ‘disease of the family’, which can have detrimental effects – fuelling a higher rate of divorce, anxiety and depression amongst parents of children with this condition. People who want to support the work of the paediatric diabetes team at CUH, can donate at cuhcharity.ie. Gallery guide Jessica Fahy will explore a time of great change in Rebel Artists - 20th Century Irish Women Artists. Finally, from October, The Art of Light moves from Caravaggio through to impressionistic art with Dr Sara Wilson.
Course information:
Tickets: €150 per course per person 20per cent discount: Friends of the
Gallery 10per cent discount: Over 65’s/ unwaged/students
Special offer until 11 January 2022:
Further 10per cent discount when all three courses booked together
Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are ‘being discriminated against’, according to Limerick-based Adrienne Cullen-Morgan. ‘As a result we are barred from restaurants, cafes, hotels etc and it is not fair. The Irish Government has overlooked people like us which has made me very angry. We have become modern day lepers. I want to contact others in the same position with a view to setting up an organization so that we can challenge the Government guidelines’.
She says: ‘Those of us who are exempt have been treated very badly by the Irish Government and none of the Public Services such as the HSE, Human Rights Organizations, Minister for Health etc have done anything to help us. ‘We are continually discriminated against which is in breach of our basic human rights. I would point out that we are not anti-vaxers but people who for sound medical reasons are exempt from having the Covid vaccine’
Ms Adrienne Cullen-Morgan can be contacted by email at aecmorgan@yahoo.co.uk or telephone: 087 0956428.
Series of National Gallery on-line art courses One in four misdiagnose themselves on line
The National Gallery of Ireland has announced a new series of online art appreciation courses which will take place in 2022. Scheduled for winter, spring and autumn, the 8-week evening courses offer the perfect opportunity to learn more about art and discover lesser-known works from the national collection.
Each unique course will be hosted by expert art historians and guest speakers. Launching in January 2022, Artist, Writer, Image: Literary and Artistic Connections in the National Gallery of Ireland connects visual art and the written word with art historian Dr Kathryn Milligan. From March to May 2022, art historian and Recent research has revealed that one in four people misdiagnose themselves with a medical condition from online searches. Interestingly, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, 36 per cent now prioritise online searches over GP visits to diagnose health issues.This new national research has been carried out by Astellas as part of its Control OAB (over active bladder) campaign to encourage more people to talk to their GP if they experience concerns or symptoms of OAB. The medical condition OAB currently affects more than 350,000 people across Ireland. Although one in four women previously surveyed, aged 40-70, have experienced OAB related symptoms and 52per cent of those with OAB in Ireland are men. These new findings suggest that people with undiagnosed medical conditions like OAB may continue suffering symptoms in silence, instead of consulting expert healthcare professionals for proper medical advice and treatment. Indeed, while many people seek reassurance online in relation to their health concerns, over half (51 per cent) admit that searching health symptoms online often leaves them feeling more anxious than reassured.
OAB is a medical problem that affects the way the bladder behaves. It is an involuntary and sudden contraction or squeezing of the muscle in the wall of the bladder, even when the volume of urine in your bladder is low. To help improve public understanding of OAB and encourage more women and men aged 40+ to identify and control OAB symptoms, Astellas has launched a new educational podcast series in November called Controlling OAB. More information on self-assessment on www.oab.ie.
The rate of socio-emotional difficulties amongst deaf and hard of hearing children is over three times that of the typical hearing population, a new report shows.
The study found that nearly half (42per cent) have clinically significant socio-emotional problems – which have an impact on home life, classroom learning and the ability to get on with others. Only 14per cent of these, however, are currently receiving mental health or counselling supports.
It finds that the area of greatest difference for deaf and hard of hearing children is in peer difficulties, an area other studies have shown results in an increased lifetime risk of self-harm.
The report, ‘Socio-emotional Development in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’ is the first of its kind carried out in Ireland and was commissioned by Chime, the national charity for deafness and hearing loss. It has warned that an approach which has involved urgent cases requiring specialist attention being seen by a psychiatrist in the UK at parents’ expense, is unsustainable, and that quicker intervention is required. Chime campaigns for equal rights, greater accessibility and opportunities for individuals impacted by deafness.
Brother and sister Lexi (8) and Mason (9) Noone from Kilnamanagh, Dublin , with Chime Director of Advocacy Brendan Lennon and Dr Elizabeth Mathews of the School of Inclusive and Special Education, Dublin City University, at the report launch Pic: Marc O’Sullivan.
