Dementia Friendly Thurles

05/11/2025

Psychologist Dr. Sabina Brennan joined Seán Moncrieff recently to talk about why loneliness carries profound implications for brain health, and even heightens the risk of dementia.

Have a listen to the podcast here: https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-moncrieff/is-there-a-link-between-loneliness-and-dementia

05/11/2025

A very enjoyable hands on memory cafe today as everyone learned about the benefits of essential oils as an alternative medicine.
The benefits of igniting your senses through smell increases cognition, can help change/lift your mood and can help trigger memories.
We hope you all enjoyed the art of making the aromatherapy scent bags.
See you all again next month, Wednesday 3rd December.
Jennifer and Ursula.
Dementia Friendly Thurles.
Engaging Dementia
Dementia: Understand Together Dementia Ireland Empowering Communities Bookworm Thurles Alzheimers society of ireland Ardeen Nursing Home Irish Dementia Cafe Network

03/11/2025

Dementia Friendly Thurles will hold a Memory Cafe on Wednesday 5th November, in Bookworm, Thurles, from 11am -12.30pm.
We are very lucky this month, all of our Alzheimers Society Dementia advisors for County Tipperary will attend, and they will assist us in our arts and crafts cafe.
We look forward to seeing everyone again, and all are welcome to our cafe. Maureen Ely is the new treasurer for DFT, and is a welcome addition to our group.

Ursula, Jennifer and Maureen.

28/10/2025

We have over 150 people registered for our FREE Webinar on Decision-Making Options for Individuals, Families and Carers which takes place on Tuesday, Nov 4th from 12pm - 1pm.

If you are living with dementia, or your son, daughter, parent or spouse has a progressive illness, affecting their capacity, then this is an opportunity to engage with a legal professional working in the field of capacity.

Muriel Moore has personal experience of dementia, in her family and is a solicitor specialising in the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act. She is a decision-making representative for a number of people, makes Decision-Making Representation applications where someone lacks capacity to make decisions themselves, and advises on making Enduring Powers of Attorney.

The session will cover the graduated approach to capacity, something we are familiar with when living with dementia and other progressive illnesses, showing how best to support independent decision-making, and how this is supported by the new law.

It will also address future planning for present and future scenarios where any one of us, through accident, illness or injury may lack capacity to make decisions affecting our own lives.

We will explore how anyone experiencing challenges with capacity may:
- choose another person to be a decision-supporter, who will be recognised by banks, financial institutions, healthcare providers as authorised to speak for you, and on your behalf.

- Provide for a such a person to act for you, and on your behalf in the future, by creating an Enduring Power of Attorney (where individuals can choose and appoint in advance the person or persons who will manage some or all of their affairs.)

- Provide in a document for their specific wishes regarding future care, in an Advanced Healthcare Directive.

The new law has human rights at its core, with an emphasis on respect for a person’s freedom to choose for themselves, maximum independence and employing the least invasive intervention focusing on the person’s own will and preference.

We will look at how this is being implemented, some of the difficulties in negotiating the legal processes and how to overcome them.

If you have any related questions that you would like to put to Muriel, please email: [email protected] and she will endeavour to answer them on the day.

We will also leave time for any practical queries you may have at the end of the webinar.

To sign up for free to the Webinar, click here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/webinar-on-decision-making-options-for-individuals-families-and-carers-tickets-1819467679809?aff=erelexpmlt

23/10/2025

Join Thurles Lions Club on Sun 16th Nov for a Coffee / Breakfast Morning at Ryan's Daughter Restaurant-Thurles in Aid of Suir Haven Cancer Support Centre ☕ 🥘

23/10/2025

Reminder! The clocks go back this weekend ⏰

Changing the clocks can be confusing for all of us – but for someone living with dementia it can be particularly disorientating and even distressing.

Thankfully there are a few easy things we can do to help minimise any disruption.

Consider having dinner and going to bed an hour earlier on Saturday, so that the person you’re caring for still gets enough sleep and can wake up at their usual time on Sunday.

Keep to a regular routine during the day and at bedtime. Doing regular activities at the same time each day – for example, going for a walk after breakfast – can help a person with dementia make sense of the time.

Gentle exercise outdoors can help the person feel sleepier during the evening. If this isn’t an option, keeping them active during the day can have a similar effect.

Use blackout curtains to reduce sunlight in the evening to help with body clock regulation.

Invest in an auto-setting clock for them. Reading a clock face can be tricky for some people with dementia, so often digital clocks are easier. You can also get clocks that show the day of the week and date as well as the time, and for some people a day/night clock can help them distinguish what time of day it is.

11/10/2025

Everyone is entitled to be an active cultural participant at all stages of life. The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar is delighted to offer free dementia friendly Azure Tours based on the gallery’s...

10/10/2025

Reminder....... next Thursday, 16th October, is Week 2 for our Carers Support Group in the Community Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles.

05/10/2025

22/09/2025

⏰ The countdown is on!

Positive Ageing Week 2025 runs from the 26th September until the 3rd October 🎉

This year’s theme: Connecting Generations.

💡 From community events to national conversations, it’s a week to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and contributions of older people.

👉 Check out www.positiveageingweek.com for more.